Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2011

What brought you to Tokyo?
I moved here from Quebec in 2006 to train martial arts. I also had a passion for drawing manga and I wanted to see if I could get somewhere. It was harder than I thought.

How come you stuck around? One day, I ended up teaching English to filmmaker Sion Sono (Suicide Club) and he asked me to be in his film Love Exposure. He needed a foreigner for a short scene. I accepted right away and we became friends. Soon, I was teaching him English daily in exchange for his filmmaking knowledge.

What kind of films do you make? I’ve been experimenting with different styles. My first film, Karma, was a thriller. My newest film, You+Me=Love, is a splatter action comedy. I’m proud of that one and had excellent responses at the Yubari Fantastic Film Festival this year.  What’s your inspiration? I’ve always been an artist, and in the end, all arts are related—drawing, martial arts, movies, etc. I want to live off of doing what I love. Got to work hard though. 

What are your influences? My three friends and teachers who taught me so much—Sion Sono, Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police) and Tak Sakaguchi (Versus; Death Trance).

Any new projects in the pipeline? I’m working on a film featuring Masanori Mimoto (Alien vs. Ninja) and Cay Izumi, a pole-dancing friend who’s been in tons of splatter and horror flicks. I’m planning to lean more towards Sion’s darker style this time. Less splatter! 

Any advice for wannabe filmmakers in Tokyo? This is important: one needs to understand that the movie business in Japan generates little or no revenue; all the actors and directors I know are poor. Don’t expect some big company to finance your project, I promise you it won’t happen. Just save up and get reliable friends to help you.

Where should we go to see some of your stuff? Japanese and international festivals for now. You can also follow me on Twitter: @ALEXGUMI.

For more info, see http://ameblo.jp/alexpaille.