Satoshi Kon burst into the feature animated scene when his first film, the psychological thriller Perfect Blue, garnered accolades across the critical spectrum. And the buzz on his new film, Millenium Actress, bodes well for the future career of this rising director. Akadot's Parisian correspondent Olivier de Doncker fires off a few questions just before Kon is whisked away.

Do you see yourself as a manga creator or a director?

Satoshi Kon: I don't want to be classified in a specific category. I rather think I'm a creator, using pictures as work material.

Why was Millenium Actress was shown abroad before being released in the Japanese domestic market.

SK: Japanese producers have been influenced by the case of director Takeshi Kitano. His early films didn't attract many people in theaters. They were underestimated by Japanese critics. But Kitano became famous worldwide when his films were screened at foreign festivals like Cannes or Venice, and he achieved ink in Japanese media chiefly due to the influence of European critics like Jean-Pierre Dionnet. Now, production companies have been following a similar lead. For instance, Bandai, instead of opening Jin-Roh domestically right away, premiered the film in France.

Millenium Actress embodies myriad themes - Japanese history, evolution of the film medium, romance. How do you want the viewers to watch your film?

SK: I don't think my film has a real "subject." I don't want the audience to follow my vision of the film, but rather take from it what they feel is important.

Millenium Actress is rife with references to Japanese cinema. Do you think that a western audience will be able to understand your film?

SK: I think so. When the film was premiered abroad, I felt that the audience understood exactly what I wanted to express.

Want to know more about Millenium Actress? Read another Akadot interview with writer Sadayuki Murai!