USA 2004, 75 min 

Directed by: Travis Klose

Appearing: Nobuyoshi Araki, Takeshi Kitano, Björk, Richard Kern, and others; Production: Trooper Films

 

Nobuyoshi Araki was born in 1940 in Tokyo. He studied directing and photography at Chiba University in Tokyo. He began his career at the Dentsu advertising agency. Since 1970 he has been very active. He has participated in over 100 solo exhibitions around the world, and has received numerous prestigious awards for his work. He is known primarily as a creator of nudes and portraits, and owes his fame above all to the courage with which he approached erotic photography. His works often teeter on the thin line between art and pornography. His works were repeatedly confiscated, and the artist himself was fined for offending morality because Japanese law is very strict in this regard. Araki takes portraits of Tokyo prostitutes, showing their charms in sophisticated and highly provocative poses, as well as many celebrities from the worlds of film and show business. The film has appearances by the Icelandic singer/songwriter Björk and the Japanese director Takeshi Kitano, who is a friend of the photographer.