• New York Times:
"Yasukuni" team dealing with Death Threats
www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/awards_festivals/berlin/news/e3i8532207298029721543b7e881ee0e8af

BERLIN: The director and producers of a documentary about Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine have received multiple death threats from right-wing groups in Japan that want to prevent the movie's local release.

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The threats began about two months ago, when we started press screenings of the movie in Japan," the director told The Hollywood Reporter in Berlin, where "Yasukuni" is screening in the Berlin International Film Festival's Forum sidebar. "The threats have gotten worse and worse as we have gotten closer to the Japanese theatrical release of the film in April.


• Asahi.com: " Chinese filmmaker finds the swords of Yasukuni still sharp"
www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200803150077.html

'Yasukuni," a two-hour documentary by Chinese filmmaker Li Ying, is not a comfortable film for Japanese audiences. But not for the usual guilt-trip inducing reasons. The film rises above the seemingly endless denunciations by Asian leaders, to challenge viewers, through meticulous research and extensive use of archival footage, to take a hard look at themselves and their biases about the shrine.

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Shooting "Yasukuni" turned out to be more difficult for Li and his crew than anticipated. Officials at the Yasukuni compound developed the unfortunate habit of confiscating Li's cameras and film. "Once they learned that I was Chinese, all hell broke loose," he says. He says he also received threats from persons hoping to quash the film entirely.

"Nonetheless, sympathetic Japanese made it possible for me to get the film released. Many of my Chinese acquaintances were surprised that Japanese helped," he says, reiterating that the film is not anti-Japan.

"'Yasukuni' is not simply a movie made by a Chinese," Li says. He explains that the film was a joint Asian project, shot by a Japanese cameraman (who has a relative enshrined at Yasukuni) and edited by another Japanese.

Li says he is also grateful to the government-affiliated Japan Arts Council for sponsoring for "a potentially provocative film like this" 。。。


• Review from Berlin Festival
www.variety.com/index.asp

But "Yasukuni" is about chronicling disorder and the breakdown of societal structures, elements Li Ying finds in the attitudes of many Japanese people toward their nation's past, and which he transfers onto his images. People wander in and out of shots; the framing is untidy, bordering on chaotic.

▲異例！ドキュメンタリー「靖国」が、公開直前に上映中止決定！

『文化庁の所管法人から助成金を得ている事に対して、一部国会議員が「政治的に中立な映画なのか」と疑問を呈し、国会議員向けに試写会が開かれ、そのことが「事前検閲につながる」「表現の自由を侵害する」といった批判もあがっていた。』

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▲問題作『靖国　YASUKUNI』が最優秀ドキュメンタリー賞を受賞！−香港映画祭−

「『靖国　YASUKUNI』は、軍服を着て参拝する集団や合祀（ごうし）に反対する遺族たちなど、さまざまな思いが行き交う終戦記念日の様子を活写。神社のご神体である日本刀「靖国刀」を作る刀匠にも取材し、靖国刀がもたらした意味を解き明かしてゆく。」

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▲毎日。jp
＜「靖国」上映中止＞「見てもらい評価」　来月、大阪で上映−−京都も８月予定
『一方、第七芸術劇場は当初の日程通り５月１０日から７日間上映する予定。また京都シネマも８月に上映を予定している。第七芸術劇場の松村厚支配人は「これで全国で中止なら、嫌がらせや抗議で取りやめにできることになる。批判する人がいていいし、その通りと思う人がいてもいい。上映しなければ議論にもならない」と話している。』〜結構冷静だな。