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Horror Manga Creator Kazuo Umezu Helms 1st Feature Film
posted on by Egan Loo
77-year-old horror manga creator Kazuo Umezu (Drifting Classroom, Makoto-chan) makes his feature directorial debut in Mother, a film opening on September 27, 2014. 41-year-old Kabuki actor Ainosuke Kataoka dons Umezu's signature red-and-white striped shirt to play the creator himself. Kimie Shingyōji plays Ichie, Umezu's mother who holds the key to the story.
Umezu wrote the script for this autobiographical story that will "reveal the secrets of the 'Umezu World' that have captivated readers in various works." Kataoka acknowledged that when he heard about the role, he worried whether he would be for right for it since "I look nothing like him." He added that his generation have read Makoto-chan and other Umezu works all the time, but he never thought he would get to meet Umezu himself.
Between his Kabuki performances, Kataoka worked on the film, which was shot entirely on location.
Source: Oricon
