The BFI wants to know if you'd show future generations "Tokyo Story"?

by Chris MaGee

The British Film Institute is celebrating their 75th anniversary this year, but instead of looking back on its three quarters of a century of chronicling moving pictures they're looking to the future. They've asked 75 cinematic luminaries, from directors to actors to critics, what one film they would choose to show future generations. It's a fascinating list (check it out here), but if you look closely that only one Japanese film has been nominated... but what a film!

Both Gurinder Chadha, director of "Bend It Like Beckham", and Joanna Hogg, who's worked both in television and film directing episodes of "Casualty" and "London's Burning, have chosen Yasujiro Ozu's seminal family drama "Tokyo Story" as the film that they would show to future generations. As Hogg puts it Ozu's story of generational strife in post-WW2 Japan "makes you reflect on your life, [the film] calmly observes relationships and family and fundamental things that we're grappling with in our lives," while Chadha puts it even more succinctly calling "Tokyo Story" a, "perfect film about humanity."

You can listen to more of what they each have to say about the film by watching the videos that have been posted by the BFI with each director discussing the 1953 classic. it's hard to disagree that the universal story about familial duty and love in "Tokyo Story" would make it a perfect candidate as a film that could communicate to future generations, but isn't it odd that it's the only Japanese film on the list? What about, say, Masaki Kobayashi's "Harakiri" or Hirokazu Kore-eda's "After Life"? If you agree that there should be more films from Japan represented the BFI is giving folks like you and me the opportunity to vote. Follow the link above and make your own nomination, but make sure to do it before the end of September. That's when the poll will be closed and all the votes will be tallied, so make your voice heard!