How did "Audition" materialise?

I had read the novel by Ryu Murakami and enjoyed it very much. The project then just happened to be offered to me when I was not working on anything and, excited by it I decided to accept.

Did you anticipate any problems in bringing your vision to the screen in terms of censorship issues?

There is of course a governing body in Japan but they didn't see anything in the film to prohibit exhibition to the correct audience. Obviously it is not a film intended for children but it was my intention to be frank about issues of sex and sexuality and it is in this arena perhaps that the film can be considered provocative.

The central theme is that of the exploitation of women in Japanese society. Was this something you were keen to explore?

To a degree, though I do not feel that it is the specific responsibility of a director to always tackle social issues. With "Audition" however, I was pleased that I was able to touch upon something that is prevalent in Japanese culture. Having said that I feel that it is almost impossible for cinema to do little other than recognise the existence of such attitudes, as opposed to actively changing them.

"Audition" begins as a Sirkian melodrama before becoming an extremely dark thriller. As a spectator that's quite an exciting and daring proposition.

This is something I was very aware of. I wanted to tease the audience to the extent that perhaps they may begin to think that they are in the wrong film. Then, I pull the rug out from under them.

A prolific director, "Audition" looks set to open you up to a whole new Western audience.

This is something I am very excited by. I like to work hard and to work fast, refining my skills, but to have a film receive such a good response worldwide goes beyond my wildest dreams.