Missing Pictures: Naomi Kawase

Foreverymoviemade,dozensofpicturesremainmissingforever.MISSINGPICTURESgivesdirectorsachancetotellthestorythatwouldotherwiseneverbetold.Eachepisodeinvitesonefilmmakertonarratesomekeypointsofthemovie,whythemoviewassoimportantforthematthetimeandwhyitwasnevermade.　　Episode1:AbelFerrara,BirdsofPrey(USA)　　Inthisepisode,wemeetlong-timeindependentAmericanfilmmakerAbelFerrara.‘BirdsofPrey‘wouldhavebeenthepoliticalthrillerofhisdreams…untilitallfellapart.Theneo-noir,provocativedirectorbehindmovieslikeMs.45(1981)andBadLieutenant(1992),takesuswithhimonajourneythroughtheheartofhisunfinishedstorybasedinthe70’sNewYorkCity.　　Episode2:TsaiMing-Liang,TheSeven-Storybuilding(Taïwan)　　TsaiMing-Liang,theTaiwanesemaestroofslowcinema,doesn’thaveareal“missingpicture”,butwhathedoeshavearechildhoodmemories,sovividthatitisimpossibleforhimtofilm.ThefilmmakerseizesthemediumofvirtualrealitytogobacktotheMalaysiaofhischildhood,whenhisgrandparentstookhimtoseetwomovieseverynight.Ratherthantellingusaboutanunmadefilm,TsaiMing-Liangtransformstheexerciseintoamaking-ofofhisentirefilmcareer.　　Episode3:CatherineHardwicke,TheMonkeyWrenchGang(USA)　　AfterTwilightChapter1’shugebox-officehit,AmericanfilmmakerCatherineHardwicketriedtomakeanadaptationofTheMonkeyWrenchGangbyEdwardAbbey,acultbookofthe70sAmericancountercultureandaprecursorofeco-activism.Thedirectorrevisitsthisprojectwhichexcitedhersomuchandwhichbecame,becauseofthereluctanceoftheHollywoodstudios,oneoftheseumpteenth“ghostsofthegarage”.　　Episode4:LeeMyung-Se,Fatherisgone(SouthKorea)　　FatherisgonecouldhavebeenLeeMyung-se’sdebutfilm,butslippedintoalonghiatusinstead.AfterthirtyyearsbusydirectingunprecedentedfeaturesinKorealikeFirstLoveorNowheretoHide,Leefinallybringsthelostprojectbacktolifethroughvirtualreality.SetagainstthebackdropofafamilyofthreemovingtotheoutskirtsofSeoulinthe1960s–wherethedirectorhimselfgrewup–FatherIsGonequestionstheplaceofthefatherinthetraditionalKoreanculture.　　Episode5:NaomiKawase,OhDebu(Japan)　　ThemostcelebratedfemalefilmmakerfromJapanrevisitsaprojectthatsheenvisionedafterher2015filmSweetBean.OhDebutellsthestoryofAya,a27-year-old,overweightandoverromanticwoman.Throughthisstory,NaomiKawasewantedtogiveherselfachallengetryingtomakeacomedy,farfromhernaturalist,poeticpreviouswork.