Newspaperthief2000 News
7 January, 2002
AWARD WINNING DIRECTOR TALKS ABOUT AXE: THE FELLOWSHIP OF ANIME
NewspaperThief: Hello Ang Lee!
Ang Lee: Hello!
NewspaperThief: We are very happy to be speaking to you. Thank you for taking time to share with us your thoughts on your latest project "AXE: Fellowship of Anime." We really appreciate your time.
Ang Lee: No, thank you for the interview. It is really no problem. I wish we could speak longer (Laughs).
NewspaperThief: (Laughs) That is ok. Let us begin then.
Ang Lee: Ok!
NewspaperThief: How does it make you feel to take on a project as important as AXE: Fellowship Of Anime?
Ang Lee: Well, it feels great. Its very comforting thing for me, that a lot of the audience, especially the Otaku can share the same dream with me. The same belief. Conviction. It was a great privilege making this movie... since hearing about this 'anime' club, I always dreamed of doing a film about their rise, success and eventual corporate takeover of the Toronto Anime scene.
Anime is one of the most popular forms of entertainment this century. Out of all my films, this project is the most nostalgic for me. I wished other biography drama films can be like this, because as a child I wished it was like this(laughs).
NewspaperThief: This film marks your triumphant debut to anime related material and will also be your longest and most ambitious film to date. How did you decide that the time was right to attempt such a project after working on other three very successful Hollywood features?
Ang Lee: Well, in my mind I have always wanted to do a film about Silver Khosla and his anime team.
I made a commitment to myself that I must make a live action anime biography. No matter what. So over the past five years, the ANIMEXTREME material stood out as the film I wanted to do the most. There were other anime clubs too, but I wanted to do focuse on ANIMEXTREME.
Stay tuned for Parts 2-5 of the exlusive Ang Lee Interview Series as he shares this thoughts on his most ambitious project to date: AXE: Fellowship of Anime.
