Director Kore-eda Hirokazu discusses filmmaking philosophy

Japanese director Kore-eda Hirokazu shared insights into his unique approach to working with child actors during an 'In Conversation' event at the Singapore International Film Festival. A central tenet of his philosophy is the conscious decision to never film children crying. He explained, “It’s not that I can’t, or that it’s difficult. I don’t shoot it.” He stated that his ideal is for viewers to remember a child’s smile rather than their distress.

Kore-eda detailed how his methods have evolved, noting that for films like ‘Shoplifters’ and ‘Broker,’ he avoided giving children scripts. Instead, he rewrote dialogue to match the natural vocabulary and personalities of the actors, feeding them lines on set to ensure authenticity. However, for his film ‘Monster,’ he provided scripts to ensure the young cast could navigate the sensitive subject matter safely.

The director also credited filmmakers Hou Hsiao-hsien and Ken Loach as influences. He noted that he adopted Hou’s technique of leaving the set once filming begins to allow children to play naturally, and drew inspiration from Loach’s ability to capture genuine, unscripted reactions in young performers.