Special Thanks to Avery Guerra, Jeff Horne, and G-FEST.
“Read good books, talk to good people, and carry out good deeds. Those are the way to become a better person.”
-Ishiro Honda
Ever since the film’s debut last fall, kaiju and cinema fans around the world have been clamoring to see the beautifully-crafted documentary that takes a dive into the life and history behind one of Godzilla’s fathers, the legendary Ishiro Honda. While his story has now been chronicled via an amazing biography by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski, there has never been a full-length documentary about the beloved filmmaker and inaugural director of the King of the Monsters’ storied franchise. Thankfully, that changed in 2024, when Spanish filmmaker Jonathan Bellés released Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director. The documentary was a hit at the Sitges Film Festival upon its World Premiere, but has since gone quiet in regard to its wider release… until now.
Kaiju United is proud to exclusively reveal that Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director will be making its grand North American Premiere at the 2025 G-FEST Film Festival! While the exact date and time is to be determined, it will play during the festival, and there is no ticket required. The documentary explores Honda’s life in five chapters, ranging from early upbringings and influences, time in World War II, Godzilla, and his later career and collaborations with his friend, fellow film director Akira Kurosawa.
When creating the film, Jonathan Bellés stated, “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.” He adds, “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.”
The deep dive into Honda’s life features interviews ranging from Ryuji Honda (Ishiro Honda’s son), Hisao Kurosawa (Akira Kurosawa’s son), Shinji Higuchi (Shin Godzilla), Joe Dante (Gremlins), Linda Miller (King Kong Escapes), and Ishiro Honda biographers Steve Ryfle & Ed Godziszewski.
Check out the trailer below, and stay tuned for more updates on this screening & more on Kaiju United.
