Fans who missed out on catching the 2024 documentary Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director at the G-FEST Film Festival this year have another chance to see the film. The Chicago Japan Film Collective (CJFC), the first and only Japanese film festival in the U.S. Midwest, has announced a screening at the Facets Film Forum that will take place on Sunday, December 14th at 10:30 AM CST. This screening will also include a post-screening panel with Ishiro Honda scholars Ed Godziszewski and Steve Ryfle, known for their biography Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, From Godzilla to Kurosawa and their recently published Godzilla: The First 70 Years: The Official Illustrated History of the Japanese Productions. The two were interviewed for this documentary and provide insight into Honda’s life outside of his famous kaiju films and have spent decades chronicling the life of the acclaimed director.
As a bonus, for those who aren’t in the Chicagoland area, the film will also be screened in an exclusive online virtual screening that will last ten days, with tickets going on sale the first day of streaming (December 12th). Much like standard VOD rental services, viewers will have 48 hours to watch the documentary after ordering their virtual tickets. For those that aren’t in the Chicago area, this is the perfect time to finally see the film officially ahead of its upcoming wide release by SRS Cinema. Filmgoers that are interested in picking up tickets on the first day of sale can do so by visiting the CJFC streaming portal.
Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a Film Director was produced, written, and directed by Spanish filmmaker Jonathan Bellés. José Luis Romeu serves as editor alongside Mr. Bellés, with the cinematography being done by Ségolène Lacourte and Óscar Rivero. The principal cast of interviewees for the documentary include Ryuji Honda, Yuuko Honda-Yun, Hisao Kurosawa, Shinji Higuchi, Steve Ryfle, and Ed Godziszewski
The documentary explores “the life and legacy of Ishiro Honda, the creator of Godzilla and one of Japan’s most influential filmmakers. Through interviews and archival materials, the film examines how Honda’s wartime experiences and reflections on the atomic bomb shaped his artistic vision and enduring contributions to Japanese cinema.”
During the production, Mr. Bellés remarked upon Ishiro Honda. “As a former combatant in the Second World War, Honda is recognized as a pacifist and humanist filmmaker,” he said. “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.”
Check out the film’s official trailer below. For more on the documentary behind one of the fathers of Godzilla, check out our interview with the film’s director, Jonathan Bellés. Stay tuned for further updates on the film and its wide release & other special screenings on Kaiju United. To keep up with the documentary and learn more about the production, we encourage you to visit Daifilms’ official website.
