Veteran director and TV personality Takeshi Kitano’s new comedy Kantoku Banzai! (“Hurray for the director!”) and long time TV celebrity Hitsohi Matsumoto’s first movie Dainihonjin (“Big Japanese”) both premiered Saturday, Iza! reports. Takeshi Kitano, famous for his Golden Lion award win at the Venice Film Festival for HANA-BI (“Fireworks”) as well as his Silver Lion award for the samurai flick Zatoichi, greeted people from the stage at the premier showing at Takashiyama Times Square Theatre in Sendagaya, Tokyo. “Nowadays, there are many movies which try to make the audience cry, but they don’t feel ‘real’… I want you to allow yourselves to be stupid, and enjoy this movie”, he said, receiving laughter and applause from the audience.

Meanwhile, “Dainihonjin” premiered at the Togeki Theatre in Tsukiji, Tokyo. “I respect Kitano, but I do not want to lose to him”, Matsumoto said. But when asked about winning, he said “Who’ll win? How do you decide the critera for winning, that’s what I would like to ask. It’s not like on TV, we’re not competing for viewers on the same time slot, so I’d like to ask everyone to please see both movies”, laughing.

When Dainihonjin screened at the Cannes festival, Matsumoto was reportedly comforted by Kitano with a reassuring “Abroad, this happens very often”, when people in the audience were leaving their seats halfway through the film, according to Iza!.

Original article from Iza! (Japanese)

Kantoku Banzai! trailer @ Quicktime

Dainihonjin trailer @ AmebaVision

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