A special talk session between prizewinning director and SAMURAI Award recipient Takeshi Kitano and eight young directors was held in Tokyo on October 25. Among the participants in the session were Tony Rayns (film critic/screenwriter and Japanese Cinema Splash Jury), Christian Jeune (Deputy to the General Delegate of the Cannes Film Festival and Japanese Cinema Splash Jury) and winners of the PFF Award 2014 as well as winners from three students film festivals in Japan.

Kitano believes in creating what he wants to create, but knows the importance of accepting what he doesn't like. "It's a matter of creating what makes sense to you, but not forgetting that there are other opinions and perspectives in filmmaking," he said. "Within constraint, how much freedom can you create with the right mindset? Try to be able to push the limit. Unlimited possibilities exist within constraint."

Kitano told the young directors, "The key here is to continue doing what you are doing. The external world will find what is unique about you." He added, "Be withdrawn a bit, take a step back, and see for yourself."

He was then joined by Rayns and Jeune, both of whom are intimately familiar with Japanese cinema, for a talk session on the "Now and Future of Japanese Film." Rayns said, "The future of Japanese cinema is sitting right here on this stage." Jeune added, "The world has changed so the directors have to change what they want to say and how they want to say it. And I hope they will find the means to tell a story."

Kitano concluded the session in classic Kitano style, "Thinking about what's necessary to make a breakthrough is like asking what you should do to win the lottery. The answer is somewhere and your job is to find it. You can listen to advice, but don't forget that you are the creator of your own film. What's best is to build your own world which may lead you to answers. I won't tell you to keep at it because you see, it's best to nip the buds!"