Berlin Film Festival Jury Recalls Inspirations, Including ‘Back To The Future’, Talks Shrinking Gap Between Arthouse & Mainstream

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The 72nd Berlin Film Festival kicks off in physical form today with M. Night Shyamalan leading the main competition jury. Also notable among panelists is Oscar nominee Ryusuke Hamaguchi whose Drive My Car this week became the first Japanese movie ever nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award.

Hamaguchi was actually on a plane heading to Berlin when the nominations were announced, and only learned of the results upon landing.Today, he and the other jury members recalled the cinematic experiences that first sparked them to filmmaking.

For Hamaguchi, it was Robert Zemeckis’ 1989 Back To The Future Part II. “It was a discovery for me. I never imagined such an interesting film existed in the world,” he said. “I was rather introverted, but inside the space of a movie theater I was able to be released from daily life and it was an important experience for me.

What I’m doing now is totally different, but movies have the power to change your life and this message I will never forget.”Shyamalan also recalled finding inspiration from the 80s with Steven Spielberg’s Raiders Of The Lost Ark, a film he initially was reluctant to see, thinking it was “about science.” He said, “I was a super shy kid and sitting in a 1200-seat theater, the couple next to me could see I was very scared so they bought me popcorn and drinks… Then the logo comes up and the mountain for Paramount and it turns into Raiders Of The Lost Ark… I speak of religion about cinema and I was indoctrinated that day by something so inspired and fun.