Kenichi Ugana

Born April 20, 1984, from Tokyo.
He made his debut in theaters in 2016, directing the first feature film in the Japanese “”GAL”” -themed movie “”Ganguro Gal`s Riot””.
After that, he directed the second feature film “”Good-Bye Silence””, which depicts young people who have encountered music in a world where music is prohibited, and when it was released in 2018, it became a long-run screening.
In 2019, the third feature film “”Wild Virgins””, in which a virgin man over the age of 30 transforms into a witch, was released and was selected for many film festivals such as the 38th Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival and the 40th Fantafestival.
In 2020, the fourth feature film “”Rolling Marbles””, which depicts women living in Tokyo, was released as the 15th anniversary movie of the famous magazine NYLON JAPAN, and was selected for the Cinequest Film Festival.
His series of short films, “”Extraneous Matter,”” has been screened at more than 75 film festivals in 20 countries and has won more than 11 top awards.””Extraneous Matter-Complete Edition””, has been screened at the Torino Film Festival, the Montreal Festival du nouveau cinéma, and the Etrange Festival.
His latest short horror comedy, “”Visitors,”” was selected for over 15 film festivals including the Leeds International Film Festival and the Slamdance Film Festival and the LA Shorts International Film Festival. NY Shorts International FilmFestival, where it won the top prize.

Alter Films

Visitors

Q & A

Name a Horror character you relate to on a spiritual/personal level?

I love Ash from "Evil dead". I feel that my love for Sam Raimi is overflowing in my films as well.

You’ve gotta go through some bad ideas to get to the good ones. Tell us one of your bad ideas. How do you get past the bad ones to find your spark?

It is the abandonment of trying to explain something. I don't think we need a reason.

Do you consider yourself part of a horror community?

I was raised by a mother who loved splatter movies. Her cell phone ringer was goblin music. There was no reason for me not to be a part of the horror community.

When you’re building the world of your film, where do you look for inspiration?

I am affected by all things.

What would you do if you woke up inside of your film?

It's a nightmare and I scream for a different movie.

Who would be on your ultimate horror villain squad?

It's a tough question, but pinheads are definitely the choice.

Lightning round: Freddy or Jason? Stephen King or H.P. Lovecraft? Practical or CGI? Post Apocalypse or Pre Apocalypse?

I like Jason more than Freddy, Lovecraft more than Stephen King, Pratical more than CGI, and Post Apocalypse more than Pre Apocalypse.

What scares you, and does it inspire your storytelling?

I am not so much influenced by scary things as by things that are too scary to be funny.

And finally, Ghostface would like to know ‘What’s your favourite scary movie?’

I love "Evil Dead" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre".