Ami Tomite greeted the audience and introduced her new film Antiporno, directed by Sion Sono, and gave details on its genre and how it was born. The Roman Porno film is a series of productions made by Japan’s oldest movie studio, Nikkatsu, beginning 45 years ago (the word “roman” refers to a novel in Japanese). They gave directors more freedom to work on their films if they stuck within a certain set of guidelines.

1. The film must be under 80 minutes in length.
2. It must be shot within one week.
3. It must stay on-budget.
4. It must contain a sex scene at least once every 10 minutes.

Nikkatsu Roman Porno films began to be made in an attempt to save the studio from bankruptcy in 1971. The last film of this series was made in 1988. This reboot project features these same regulations and are directed by some of Japan’s leading directors. The other directors participating in this project include Hideo Nakata (The Ring, 1998), Akihiko Shiota (Yomigaeri, 2003), Kazuya Shiraishi (The Devil’s Path, 2013), and Isao Yukisada (Go, 2001). Three of these films (Antiporno, Dawn of the Felines, and The Eye’s Dream) will be featured as part of the 18th Jeonju International Film Festival’s special Midnight Cinema section.