Acclaimed Japanese director Koji Wakamatsu dies
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This file picture taken on Oct 6, 2012 shows Japanese movie director Koji Wakamatsu speaking during an interview with AFP on the sidelines of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in Busan. Wakamatsu, whose film career started in pornography and ended in acclaimed independent productions, has died after being hit by a taxi, an aide said on Thursday. -- PHOTO: AFP
TOKYO(AFP) - Award-winning Japanese director Koji Wakamatsu, whose film career started in pornography and ended in acclaimed independent productions, has died after being hit by a taxi, an aide said on Thursday.
Wakamatsu was 76, and had only two weeks ago been named Asian Filmmaker of the Year at the region's biggest film festival in Busan, South Korea, for his contribution to independent cinema.
Interviewed by AFP in Busan, the "Caterpillar" director had said he felt his films were undervalued in Japan, "so this is a great honour for me".
"I am an independent filmmaker and this goes against the system in Japan.
