“Whether for good or bad, Godzilla decided the course of my life”
Seldom kaiju fans enter this fandom without attaining the knowledge of who Ishiro Honda is and what his epic contributions to this genre were. It is undeniable that he’s one of the fathers of Godzilla, helming many of the genre films within Toho’s Golden Age. Sadly, many are unfamiliar with the non-kaiju films that Honda directed, his work often being generalized to just “rubber suit monster movie guy”. His vast filmography extends far beyond that – his lineup truly showcases an incredible career of films that examine what it means to be human and draw inspiration from Honda’s time in World War II. Honda always approached his films with the utmost seriousness, even the kaiju films that have been historically seen by Western critics as cheesy rubber suit schlock.
Tragically, there has not been a documentary on Honda and his undeniable contributions to cinema. Despite influencing figures such as Guillermo del Toro, and John Carpenter, nobody has come to fill this massive void… until now. Production studio Daifilms, hailing from Spain, seeks to right this tremendous wrong by bringing a definitive examination of Honda’s life to the screen, assembling an amazing cast of family, colleagues, scholars, and admirers alike to reflect upon Honda-san’s life and career in a new documentary titled Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director.
Photo courtesy of Daifilms.
Director Jonathan Bellés clarified on his goals of bringing Honda’s story to light, stating:
“Following its completion and after obtaining my doctorate in Japanese cinema, I felt compelled to produce this documentary about director Ishiro Honda. Not solely for his filmography of giant monsters, but for his entire body of work: encompassing human dramas, war films, his filmmaker’s obsessions, and, naturally, his personal life.
As a former combatant in the Second World War, Honda is recognized as a pacifist and humanist filmmaker. I have always regarded him as the Japanese equivalent of “George Pal” – a director who approached his craft with seriousness, particularly within the science fiction and giant monster genres, which were often relegated to mere adolescent entertainment in Hollywood.
With a diverse filmography spanning various themes, with the specter of the atomic bomb looming large, Ishiro Honda’s works stand out as remarkable contributions to cinema.”
The documentary will be split into 5 phases of Honda’s life, with the film’s official website adding:
“Ishiro Honda’s life and film career can be divided into five distinct periods: (1) his beginnings as an Assistant Director, (2) his involvement in the Second World War, (3) his directorial works, (4) his golden era, closely associated with kaiju eiga and science fiction films, notably Godzilla (1954), and finally, (5) his tenure as the right-hand man to film director Akira Kurosawa.“
The film notably interviews Ryuji Honda, son of Ishiro Honda, as well as Hisao Kurosawa, the son of acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. For those that don’t know, Honda and Kurosawa were lifelong friends. Other interviewees confirmed are Shinji Higuchi (‘Shin Godzilla’), Linda Miller (‘King Kong Escapes’), and Honda biographers Steve Ryfle & Ed Godziszewski.
Photo courtesy of Daifilms.
For more updates on Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director, please follow Daifilm’s official social media channels and the documentary’s website. Kaiju United will update as more information becomes available.
CREDITS
Produced, Written, Edited and Directed by Jonathan Bellés
Associate Producers: Shinsuke Nakajima, Steve Ryfle, Ed Godziszewski and Yuuko Honda-Yun
Cinematographers: Ségolène Lacourte and Óscar Rivero
Sound Design and Mix: Elena Fernández
Supervising Editor: José Luis Romeu
Produced by Daifilms
With the support of Japan Foundation
With the collaboration of Cine Asia and Rental Kinkan
ABOUT DAIFLMS
In 2024, Daifilms was born, a film company founded by Spanish producer and director Jonathan Bellés. With a burning passion for Japanese cinema, Jonathan takes a bold step in establishing this production company exclusively focused on creating documentaries that explore and celebrate the fascinating world of Japanese film.
Official Website: www.ishirohondafilm.com
Social Media:
@daifilmsprods (Instagram)
https://www.facebook.com/daifilms (Facebook)
@jonathan_belles (Instagram)
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30832175/
