TRIBUTE TO THE LATE KEIZO MURASE
Keizo Murase (left) with “Brush of the God” producer Daisuke Sato (right). Sato accepted Murase’s Lifetime Achievement Award on Murase’s behalf at Asian Pop-Up Cinema on April 13, 2025.
Today Asian Pop-up Cinema is proud to present a lifetime achievement award to Keizo Murase for his many contributions as a sculptor, model maker and director to the Japanese monster movies – or kaiju eiga -- we all know and love, including the most famous series of all, Godzilla.
Born in 1935 in Tokachi, Hokkaido, Murase joined the Toho studio as a part-timer in the special effects department in 1957. He became a full-timer the following year and worked on such iconic films as “Mothra,” “King Kong versus Godzilla,” “Matango” and “Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster.”
In 1965, after working on “Gamera,” the first kaiju movie of the Daiei studio, he went independent and established together with two partners established the modeling company EX Productions.
In addition to his activities in Japan, Murase contributed to monster films made abroad, including the first-ever Korean kaiju film, the 1967 “Yongary, Monster from the Deep.” In the early 1970s he also worked on the iconic “Kamen Rider” and “Ultraman” TV series. In 1972 he left EX and set up his own production company, Twenty.
While working on the 1977 film “The Mighty Peking Man” Murase came up with the idea for the tokusatsu or special effects film that was to become of “Brush of the God.” But the film only started to become a reality with a crowdfunding campaign in 2020. After other funding raising efforts I won’t detail here, Murase was finally able to complete his first film as a director and “Brush of the God” had its world premiere at the Osaka Asian Film Festival in March of last year.
Unfortunately, Keizo Murase died on October 14, 2024 at the age of 89 before he could hear all the praise his film would garner both at home and abroad. Still, in his late eighties he was able to carry through with a long-time dream and become an inspiration to filmmakers everywhere.
We are proud to present the culmination of that dream, “Brush of the God,” tonight. And to present its maker with the Asian Pop-up Cinema Lifetime Achievement Award. The film’s producer, Daisuke Sato, will accept on his behalf. So let’s give a big round of applause to Keizo Murase!
- Mark Schilling, during closing night of Asian Pop-Up Cinema 19th Edition on Sunday, April 13, 2025.
Closing Night Film & Awards Night
Special Guests: Producer Daisuke Sato will attend the screening to accept a posthumous award for Keizo Murase.
Brush of the God (カミノフデ ～怪獣たちのいる島)
A love letter to tokusatsu films by a true legend of the genre.
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
Japan | Fantasy | 2024 | 74 minutes
In Japanese w/ English Subtitles
Director: Keizo Murase
Screenwriter: Takeshi Nakazawa
Starring: Rio Suzuki, Takeru Narahara, Takumi Saitoh, Shinji Higuchi, Shiro Sano
Film Source: Kaminofude Film Partners
3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.:
APUC will present awards for Best Film, Best New Director & Best Short for our first-ever APUC Film Competition!
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.:
Producer Daisuke Sato will attend the screening to accept a posthumous award for Keizo Murase. The screening will begin shortly afterwards.
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Closing Night reception held at the McGuffins Bar & Lounge at the AMC NEWCITY 14. Tickets holders for Closing Night Party pass includes reserved seats tickets for the program mentioned above plus admission to the Reception with beer and snacks. This event is good for 21 years old & above and wine & spirited drinks are Cash Bar.
SYNOPSIS:
While attending the funeral of her special effects artist grandfather, Akari and her classmate Takuya, a tokusatsu fanatic, come across a film prop that sucks them into the world of fearsome giant monsters. To find their way home, they must unlock the secrets of this fantasy world.
On his first and last directorial effort, Keizo Murase used all six decades of his experience as a suit-maker and sculptor on classic kaiju films to create one to beat them all. This heartfelt love letter to old-school tokusatsu films will thrill devoted fans and inspire young audiences to get into the genre.
ABOUT KEIZO MURASE:
Keizo Murase was the President of Twenty Ltd. and one of the leaders in Kaiju model making field of Japan. He joined Toho, a Japanese film company in 1958 and started his career with Varan, le monstre géant (1958). He also worked a lot of production created in the golden era of Toho’s Tokusatsu films including Mothra (1961) and King Kong contre Godzilla (1962). In addition to Toho films, in Gamera (1965), a Daiei film, he was responsible for making suits for another famous Kaiju, Gamera. Through his creations, he build a foundation of model making technics. Inthe Hong Kong film, Le Colosse de Hong Kong (1977), he worked for model making as well as directing and stunting for some special effect scenes. In addition to sculpting King Ghidorah and Mothra in the Heisei era, he sculpted the monster suit for Howl from beyond the Fog (2019) and supervised the hero suit for the American film Iké Boys (2021). Brush of the God was his first movie as general director.
ABOUT DAISUKE SATO:
Daisuke Sato began his career in the special effects field as a modeling assistant for Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: The Great Monsters All-Out Attack (2001). He has been involved in the creation of practical effects for such productions as GodzillaFinal Wars (2004), Gamera (2006), Ultraman Moebius & Ultra Brothers (2006), and Tokusatsu Kigeki Oki Yuzo: The Greatest Battle of My Life (2010). He directed the short film The Land of Fog (2019), then worked as cinematographer on Kaike Neko Kyousoukyoku (2021), as co-director and SFX/cinematographer on Hoshi 35 (2023), and directed SFX scenes for the American film Ikè Boys (2024). He served as the special effects director and producer of the NYAFF 2024 film Brush of the God.
Date:
Sunday, April 13, 2025
3:00 p.m.
Doors open 30 minutes before screening.
Location:
AMC NEWCITY14
1500 N. Clybourn Ave.
Chicago, IL 60610
OFFICIAL TRAILER