FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2021
WELCOME
(5 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET)
Opening remarks from the KAIJU MASTERCLASS team: Erik Homenick (emcee), Steve Ryfle, John DeSentis, Patrick Galvan, Kyle Byrd, Matt Parmley, Kyle Gilmore, Matt Burkett, Ed Godziszewski, Mariko Godziszewski, Amanda Whalen.
INTERVIEW: TSUTOMU “TOM” KITAGAWA
6 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. CT / 9 p.m. ET
The beloved stuntman best known for portraying Godzilla five times in Toho’s Millennium series (1999-2004) discusses his extensive suit acting career. In addition to his work as King of the Monsters, Kitagawa discusses appearing on Super Sentai TV shows and playing King Ghidorah in REBIRTH OF MOTHRA 3 (1998). (Moderators: Kyle Byrd, Matt Parmley; interpreter: Amanda Whalen)
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2021
INTERVIEW: LINDA HAYNES
9 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. CT / 12 noon ET
Linda Haynes co-starred in Ishiro Honda’s science fiction extravaganza LATITUDE ZERO (1969) alongside Cesar Romero, Joseph Cotten, Richard Jaeckel, and Akira Takarada. She discusses how the experience working on this star-studded yet troubled production paved the way for her acting career, which includes roles in the cult classics COFFY, THE NICKEL RIDE, and ROLLING THUNDER, and the neo-noir THE DROWNING POOL with Paul Newman.
INTERVIEW: NORMAN ENGLAND (BEHIND THE KAIJU CURTAIN)
10 a.m. PT / 12 noon CT / 1 p.m. ET
Author Norman England discusses his new memoir BEHIND THE KAIJU CURTAIN (Awai Books), which chronicles his unique experiences as an American journalist and photographer on the set of Japanese science-fiction films, notably Shusuke Kaneko’s GAMERA 3 (1998) and GODZILLA, MOTHRA, AND KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK (2001). England also shares stories from inside the world of Japanese filmmaking and the kaiju genre.
THE OTHER TSUBURAYAS: UNRAVELING THE TSUBURAYA FAMILY LEGACY
11 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. CT / 2 p.m. ET
Eiji Tsuburaya was not the only member of his family to have an impact on the Japanese entertainment landscape. Author Kevin Derendorf (KAIJU FOR HIPSTERS) covers the directors, producers, and musicians in lesser-discussed branches of the Tsuburaya family tree, as well as the numerous companies that spun out of Tsuburaya Productions’ success.
INTERVIEW: WILLIAM STOUT
12 noon PT / 2 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. ET
Director Steve Miner’s GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS IN 3-D has been called “The One That Got Away.” Award-winning artist William Stout discusses his work creating creature designs and storyboards for the unmade film, which was proposed more than a decade before TriStar’s GODZILLA (1998). Strout also talks about his extensive career as a film production artist on projects such as RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, FIRST BLOOD, INVADERS FROM MARS, and MEN IN BLACK. (Moderators: Kyle Byrd and Matt Parmley)
THE MAKING OF GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE (PART 2)
1 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. CT / 4 p.m. ET
Author Ed Godziszewski (ISHIRO HONDA: A LIFE IN FILM, FROM GODZILLA TO KUROSAWA) continues his in-depth presentation (which began at last year’s KAIJU MASTERCLASS) on the production of director Kazuki Omori and SFX director Koichi Kawakita’s GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE (1999), one of the most ambitious and interesting entries in Toho’s entire Godzilla series.
INTERVIEW: MAKOTO INOUE
2 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. ET
Composer and instrumentalist Makoto Inoue discusses his work performing, recording, and helping preserve the history of the tokusatsu music of Akira Ifukube, Masaru Sato, and others. Inoue has produced and performed numerous kaiju music albums and concerts since early 1980s, including the albums GODZILLA LEGEND and GODZILLA LEGEND II: VOYAGE TO DREAM QUEST. He talks about the creation of his original electronic arrangements of Ifukube’s iconic kaiju film scores. (Moderators: John DeSentis and Erik Homenick; interpreter: Amanda Whalen)
INTERVIEW: MARK SCHILLING
3 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. ET
Japan-based critic and journalist Mark Schilling has been reviewing Japanese films and covering the movie industry for more than 30 years. He discusses the many titans of Japanese cinema he’s met and interviewed and filmmakers whose work he has championed. Mark also offers his thoughts on SHIN GODZILLA, the future of the Godzilla franchise, and Toho. (Moderators: Patrick Galvan and Steve Ryfle)
INTERVIEW: FUYUKI SHINADA
4 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET
The master kaiju suit maker discusses his work creating monster costumes for GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE, GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH, GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF LEGION, GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRIS, and Shusuke Kaneko’s GODZILLA, MOTHRA, KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK, for which he redesigned and redefined Godzilla as a wrathful spirit seeking vengeance upon Japan. (Moderator: Ed Godziszewski; interpreter: Mariko Godziszewski)
INTERVIEW: KAZUKI OMORI
6 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. CT / 9 p.m. ET
Director Kazuki Omori injected new energy into the Godzilla franchise when he wrote and directed GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE (1989). He talks about the genesis of this singularly unique entry in the series, as well as his mashup of U.S.-Japan politics and 1980s Hollywood blockbuster riffs in GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH (1991), and other projects including writing both GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA (1992) and GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH (1995) and his wide-ranging career as a filmmaker and educator. (Moderators: Steve Ryfle and Patrick Galvan; interpreter: Mariko Godziszewski)
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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2021
INTERVIEW: CHRIS MOWRY
9 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. CT / 12 noon ET
Chris Mowry has two unique ties to the world of Japanese giant monsters. He is the writer of the longest-running Godzilla comic book series, IDW’s Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, and also was the publishing company’s Creative Consultant on its Godzilla titles. He currently serves as Toho International’s Creative Manager in Los Angeles, playing a key role in the company’s overseas licensing of Godzilla and other properties. (Moderators: Keith Foster and Steve Ryfle)
INTERVIEW: TIFFANY GRANT
10 a.m. PT / 12 noon CT / 1 p.m. ET
Tiffany Grant is one of the most accomplished voice actors working in the world of English dubbing, with more than 1,700 credits in both anime and feature films, as well as video games, theater, and commercials. Grant talks about her wide-ranging acting career voicing roles ranging from Asuka ing NEON GENESIS EVANGELION to characters in Shusuke Kaneko’s GAMERA trilogy, BLUE SEED, INFINITE STRATOS, FULL METAL ALCHEMIST, and more. (Moderators: Kyle Byrd and Matt Parmley)
INTERVIEW: CRAIG ALLEN
11 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. CT / 2 p.m. ET
Craig Allen is a voice actor who produced and performed in numerous English-dubbed films, including entries in the Heisei Godzilla series during the 1990s. He’ll discuss how he landed a job in a Hong Kong dubbing studio and the behind-the-scenes process that goes into dubbing a film. (Moderators: Matt Parmley and Steve Ryfle)
INTERVIEW: JASPER SHARP
12 noon PT / 2 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. ET
Jasper Sharp is an author, producer, and film scholar specializing in Asian cinema. He’ll discuss his work as a disc producer for Arrow Video, overseeing special content on such releases as THE DAIMAJIN TRILOGY and BATTLE ROYALE, as well his extensive efforts championing the films of Seijun Suzuki, Nikkatsu action films, and others. (Moderators: Erik Homenick and Steve Ryfle)
THE HISTORY OF GORGO
1 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. CT / 4 p.m. ET
Authors John LeMay and Kevin Derendorf are joined by the Kaiju Transmissions Podcast’s Kyle Byrd and Matt Parmley to discuss the making of GORGO (1960). You’ll hear about Gorgo’s Japanese kaiju roots and its lasting influence on the genre 60 years after it debuted in theaters.
APOCALYPSE THEN: MUTANTS, MONSTERS, AND MUSHROOM CLOUDS
2 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. ET
Author Mike Bogue examines prevailing attitudes in the early years of Japanese and Western atomic cinema, including their respective attitudes towards the use of atomic weapons, how the atomic bomb impacted the creatures themselves, and differences between how Japan and the West depict atomic energy as a whole.
INTERVIEW: REIKO YAMADA
3 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. ET
Concert pianist Reiko Yamada is joined by Kaiju Masterclass’ John Desentis and Erik Homenick for a detailed discussion about the classical and film music of GODZILLA composer Akira Ifukube. Ms. Yamada attended four years of Akira Ifukube’s seminars at the Tokyo College of Music. She has performed Ifukube’s works with orchestras in Japan and the U.S., and she has recorded several critically praised CDs of Ifukube’s music. (Moderators: John Desentis and Erik Homenick)
INTERVIEW: REIJIRO KOROKU
4 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET
Kaiju Masterclass is proud to announce this exclusive interview with composer Reijiro Koroku, whose original score for THE RETURN OF GODZILLA (1984) is one of the most revered in the Godzilla series. Mr. Koroku will discuss scoring this and other films, as well as his music for television, theater, anime, and video games, and his work as an educator at the Tokyo College of Music. (Moderators: John Desentis and Erik Homenick)
INTERVIEW: RYUHEI KITAMURA
6 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. CT / 9 p.m. ET
GODZILLA FINAL WARS (2004) marked the 50th anniversary of the Godzilla franchise with an outlandish, over-the-top effort that is unlike any other. Director Ryuhei Kitamura takes us behind the scenes of the making of his contribution to the franchise, how he put his unmistakable directorial stamp on the film, his displeasure with Toho’s release, and how it led to his Hollywood career as a director of horror and action films such as MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN (2008) with Bradley Cooper, THE DOORMAN (2020) with Ruby Rose, and others. (Moderators: Steve Ryfle and Kyle Byrd)
KAIJU MASTERCLASS 2: THAT’S A WRAP
8 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. CT / 11 p.m. ET
The Kaiju Masterclass team recaps the weekend and thanks viewers for another informative and successful online convention.
Kaiju Masterclass 