White Flowers (2019) follows the story of a man who wakes up in a hotel room: he has a head injury and a gun, but he remembers nothing of his identity or his past. Soon he realizes he is in danger, chased by someone who wants to kill him. Meanwhile, Yuki, a young Japanese mangaka, arrives in the city looking for inspiration for a new story. She meets a boy, Damiel, who proposes to help her in conceiving the story. The two set off in search of the characters indispensable to the plot that she will have to draw starting from the reality that surrounds them. Damiel, therefore, proposes to visit a solitary and mysterious man who seems to hide a secret: it is the man without memory, who now works in a shop as a picture framer: past and present, conception and reality seem to intertwine, unbeknownst to Yuki herself, in a game of hidden compartments that will lead to the metaphysical final destination.
126 mins | Italian, Japanese & English | Drama | 2019 | Italy
In its persistent mission and zeal to promote good cinema, the Indian Film Institute brings you the experience of the Directors of the film - Marco De Angelis and Antonio Di Trapani
Why this subject matter for your film?
Our love for Japanese culture has inspired our work for many years, since we made the short film "Dew Voices", an adaptation of a drama from Noh Theater. However, the starting idea is unimportant: the journey is the condition, not the goal. All Cinema is a McGuffin.
Where did you find the story for this film?
We have always been fascinated by ghost stories in Japanese culture. Our first feature film, “Late Summer”, also featured a ghost woman who had waited for her man beyond death.
What were the challenges you faced in making the film?
The most difficult and at the same time most intriguing thing was to insert refined Japanese nostalgia into the game of film genres, keeping literary elements and thriller atmospheres together.
The film is a remake of an unreleased 2013 film, “Yuki”.
Did you face any problems in releasing the film?
By now the mainstream has invaded all distribution. Everything is Market. Even festivals, once a safe haven for linguistic research films, are often the preserve of big commercial productions. Furthermore, the great proliferation of festivals and film expositions does not correspond to a great variety of films, but we are witnessing a global conformism of the imaginary.
What was your background before making your first film?
Marco and I are self-styled. I personally graduated in Cinema but for both of us, the real preparation was the films of the great masters and the experience of the first short films.
How do you think filmmakers like you can overcome common challenges like finance and distribution?
The only way to have absolute freedom is to self-finance your works. It is very difficult to know a producer who does not matter about the market. What you do is only interesting if it can be resold: this is unacceptable. Even for this film, despite being a low-budget production, we had some difficulties with the producer. For this reason, it is always best to do it yourself, if possible. On the other hand, to make films you don't need great stories, but great looks.
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Marco De Angelis and Antonio Di Trapani
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