Japanese director's focus changes with maturity

When Yuya Ishii won the Edward Yang New Talent Award at the 2008 Asian Film Awards, the young filmmaker's output - which consisted of the eccentric indie comedies Bare-assed Japan (2005), Rebel, Jiro's Love (2006), Girl Sparks (2007) and Of Monster Mode (also 2007) - was virtually unknown outside the festival circuits.

A film graduate from the Osaka University of Arts, Ishii was fascinated by Charlie Chaplin's movies as a high school student, before becoming a fan of Shohei Imamura's works at the age of 18. As a filmmaker, he attracted a cult following in Japan with his early independent productions, whose rambling but candid portraits of the recession-hit country's misfits resonated with young audiences.

"I was that kind of person too," says Ishii of his often comically unambitious protagonists. "Actually, those people are very common in Japan; they're more the norm than the exception."

According to the director, young Japanese nowadays often have no idea what they want to achieve. "While the previous generations might work hard to buy a car and a house, young people today don't care much about money. It's their mentality that I wanted to capture in my films. I've always hoped to show the ray of hope that exists for people who are leading a seemingly purposeless life."

But the times have changed - for Ishii at least. At age 31, the director is a fully established member of the commercial film business.