Pink Film Veteran Zeze Takahisa Champions Original Stories at Tokyo Masterclass

The Tokyo International Film Festival’s Tokyo Talk program presented a masterclass with Zeze Takahisa, director of the festival’s opening film, “Sukiyaki.” Held before a full-house crowd at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, the talk focused on Zeze’s early “pink” (softcore porn) and indie films, followed by questions about his more recent work. Born in 1960 in Oita […] ‘Sukiyaki’ director Zeze Takahisa looks back on his pink film roots at a Tokyo festival masterclass and says original films matter now more than ever. The Tokyo International Film Festival’s Tokyo Talk program presented a masterclass with Zeze Takahisa, director of the festival’s opening film, “Sukiyaki.” Held before a full-house crowd at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, the talk focused on Zeze’s early “pink” (softcore porn) and indie films, followed by questions about his more recent work.

Born in 1960 in Oita Prefecture, Zeze joined a pink film production company in 1986 and worked as an assistant director. He made his directorial debut in 1989 with “Extracurricular Activity: Rape,” for which he won the Pink Grand Prix Award for Best New Director. Together with Sano Kazuhiro, Sato Toshiki and Sato Hisayasu, Zeze was hailed as one of the “Four Heavenly Kings of Pink.” Pink films screened in specialized theaters