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Films A La Carte

Back in 2012, 16-year-old Nana Komatsu was a young model and still at school. She used to travel to Tokyo on week-ends for her photoshoots and did not consider an acting career then. In 2014, much to her surprise, she was asked to audition for The World of Kanako, the next opus from famous director Tetsuya Nakashima.

She was reluctant but encouraged by relatives and friends she went to the audition. She was hired right away after a brief interview and the rest is history now. She has starred in many films since then and worked with very different directors: Takahiro Miki, Bernard Rose, Akihiko Shiota, Martin Scorsese, Hideyuki Hirayama or Akira Nagai to name just a few.

A much sought after actress and known for being extremely versatile Nana Komatsu is most certainly one of the best representatives of the ‘Old School’ approach to acting in the Japanese film industry (and beyond). When nuance and subtle body language prevail over wordiness, when emotion is conveyed through the eyes, you’re ‘old school’ but there’s more to it, Nana Komatsu does have a few add-ons: a surprising ability to suddenly embrace rage and also a playful side which comes close to eccentricity.

Some films are available on NetFlix, Amazon Prime Video, U-Next, Mubi, Outbuster and other online services on a regular basis, you can get a few DVDs with English subs from Amazon USA and all the original Japanese DVDs and Blurays can be purchased from CD Japan.

The following ‘guide’ is not based on movie genres, alphabetical order or date of release but rather on her performance in each and every film. Going to the movies is like going to the restaurant somehow, also the actress has a solid reputation as a food loving person, so this presentation makes sense in many ways. Here’s the Menu right below: you’ll get appetizers only, i.e. trailers and short scenes.

The blogmaster’s choice (subject to change): ⭐ recommended ⭐ ⭐ personal faves

Read more: trailers, micro-reviews…

Métiers d’Art Tokyo 2023

June 1: Chanel Métiers d’Art show and photo exhibition in Tokyo. On December 8 last year, Chanel set up its new Métiers d’Art show at the former Palace of Justice in Dakar, Senegal (Clip on Daily Motion), a first in Africa. The exhibition (pictures, garments, artwork etc…) is now paying a visit to Tokyo, Japan.

Of course, actress, model and Chanel House Ambassador Nana Komatsu attended. Among the guests and VIPs, other Chanel Ambassadors such as Jennie (Blackpink), Park Seo-joon and Kristen Stewart as well as several Japanese actresses and actors: Rinko Kikuchi, Fumi Nikaido, Kyoko Hasegawa, Yumi Kawai, Hiroya Shimizu

Komatsu Nana in Dakar: see posts Métiers d’Art in Dakar and Vogue Trip to Senegal

see more: pics, links and clips

Yomei in Mainland China

The success story continues for The Last Ten Years aka Yomei Ten Nen (余命10年), Michihito Fujii‘s movie starring Komatsu Nana and Sakaguchi Kentaro. The film was a major box-office hit in Japan and Taiwan in 2022 and it has now reached Mainland China where it was released on Saturday May 20.

The movie got a nationwide release in more than 35,000 screens and had a very decent box office debut with about 2 million US dollars (15,3 million yuan) on the first day. ‘The Last Ten Years‘ seems to be actively promoted there with lots of film posters, ads and gifts for viewers.

see more: movie posters & ads, clips (messages in Chinese)…

L’Officiel, Interview Article

When in Paris for the Fashion Week at the beginning of March, Komatsu Nana was celebrated by Chanel as an emblematic ambassador ! For the show she became the Camelia Woman, at the center of the event: The Face of Chanel. During her visit she met with French writer Matthieu Peck, the result of that conversation and encounter is now available from L’Officiel, a world wide famous fashion magazine. Full interview article (in French): Nana Komatsu, Femme Camelia.

Below is a selection of translated excerpts and a few pics. Photographer: Emma Panchot, Stylist: Jennifer Eymère

see more: translated excerpts, pics, clip