Andrijana Cvetkovikj is a woman of many accomplishments. Most notably, she was the first Macedonian ambassador to Japan from 2014 to 2018. She has a Ph.D. in cinema studies from Nihon University, an excellence award from the Japan Association of Audiovisual Producers and a role as adviser to the head of the country¡¯s Agency for Cultural Affairs. Now, at 43, she is the senior programmer for the inaugural section at this year¡¯s Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF). The festival runs from Oct. 28 til Nov. 6.
1. What was the first Japanese film that left an impression on you? ¡°Rashomon¡± was the first movie I saw when I was a kid. My mom was ironing and I sat in front of the TV, very close. She was saying I should sit back, but I could not take my eyes off the TV, especially as I was seeing people who looked different than us, probably the first time seeing a Japanese face.
2. This is as a child in Macedonia. Did that influence your decision to go into cinema and come to Japan? When I decided I was going to be a filmmaker, I started looking for that movie. Now it¡¯s so easy, you search on the internet, right? Back then was a different time, you¡¯d have to go to libraries and check VHS tapes.
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