Gudni Gudnason

See the full interview below...

Hello, could you please tell us a little bit more about your submitted project? How did you come up with such an original story?

 My movie is in Japanese and when I saw Wim Wenders doing a movie in Japanese (Perfect Days) without him knowing the language, I thought I can do the same. I have lived in Japan for 25 years and studied the culture in detail.   

Tell us something about yourself and your background. Do you remember the first movie you watched? Were you enthralled?

The first movie I watched was in the theater with my mother as a child and it was Sound of Music. The movie took my breath away.

Who are the directors that inspire you? What would be your favourite movie?

Wim Wenders, Stanley Kubrik, Federico Fellini. 

and favorite movie: Blow Up; 1966 Director Michelangelo Antonioni.

Was there a particular time when you recognized that filmmaking is your way of telling stories?

 I have been producing movies and TV shows since the early 1980`s.

What are some of the biggest challenges you encountered in making this film?

Cultural classes.

What were the production realities from casting through editing that you had to accommodate?

The Japanese Mind Set, different view points and cultural concepts.

What are the audience reviews of your project?

So far it’s been really great. See here:

Parts of it affected me so deeply and the use of sound and music was inspiring… Again, thank you!

Deborah AnnDeSnoo (Narrator for NHK, the biggest TV network in Japan, Government owned)

Congratulations on such a remarkable work!  It’s truly inspiring

Rich Grehan (Irish film maker here in Japan)

I can’t believe that you wrote this script, how can you as a Gajin understand us Japanese so well?

Ogawa san (Former CEO for Tokyo Tower)

The movie was remarkable, the deep insight into the Japanese mind was amazing and so inspiring. 

Maya Matsuoka PhD in Japanese Culture. (interviewed Dan on some Japanese YouTube channel)

Visually totally stunning and so deep, touched my soul.

My Japanese neighbour’s, a retired older couple

Thank you very much for making such a profound and beautiful film! I’m truly inspired 

Daren Afshar (Hollywood Producer, now living in Japan)

Your film has a profound spiritual quality and reminded us, after a long time, of what it means to be Japanese. 

Takashimaya staff (Kimono department)

At that screening, I felt as if I had been thrown into a realm of mystery. It made me strongly want to live as my authentic self. The way the wounded lady is healed through encounters with mentors in art and martial arts—learning to accept her own sacredness, to stop overthinking, to enjoy life, and to finally dance her own dance—felt very close to my own experience. I also felt deep gratitude, realizing that this is exactly what you have done for us through the MMS teaching.

Yuki Endo MD.

Do you believe that a filmmaker should bring always something original or he/she should stick to classic but cinema styles?

I like the mix of these two things, we need our personal original material but we also need the classic stuff.

Do you think that film festivals are playing an important role in filmmaking industry? Why are they necessary? How do you get the most out of them?

Film festivals are extremely important since only through them can we know how the audience feels about our creation. They also open up future possibilities.

What are your future plans in your filmmaking career?

I am already started on my next movie, filming in Sept 2026.