Editing was obviously a struggle for this film. As filmmakers we like to calculate how to pace things out. It's very difficult to predict how that pacing will feel to the audience; will it feel right? I think that with this film there were many still moments that made me concerned whether the audience is going to have enough patience with the film. Editing is obviously important. We spent a lot of time with it, and we paid a lot of attention to emphasize elements within the very still moments that people have something to be interested in.

Did you do any particular research into the encoffining industry?

We did a lot of research on the encoffiners. I had read about the encoffiners previously, but I had never seen it prior to working on the film. So both myself and the lead actor, Motoki, went to visit professional encoffiners. We witnessed them and also trained under them as assistants where we had hands on experience. And all of that paid off when we got to making the film.

When you were first learning about the whole process of preparing a dead body, what was your first reaction?

When I first had hands on experience working with the bodies in the encoffining process, I was impressed with how still everything felt within the space. There's a certain quiet stillness to the entire atmosphere within which the encoffiner has to work. Every little sound felt very fresh. I was struck by how sacred and how beautiful the entire process felt. The dead body wasn't something to fear. I found it very beautiful. And of course you have to wash the body with a lot of tenderness. More than anything else I was struck by the almost magical process by which the encoffiners have to return the body, especially the face, to the moment when the departed person was shining the brightest in their lives—when they were the most beautiful. It's very impressive.

How old is that tradition? Do you think it will last to future generations?

I'm not quite sure when the tradition started. What I do know is the process of putting the body into the casket was typically conducted by families, friends, and community members. The profession of an encoffiner emerged as a niche service at some point. I think that's fairly recent. I'm sorry I don't have an exact date. But I can say there's likely to be an increase in the number of encoffiners from here on, mainly because the film and its success spurred many people to be interested in the occupation. And also the number of those who want to be sent off in that manner is going to raise the demand for that occupation. Who knows, maybe at some point the U.S. will start seeing it happen.

What are your future plans?

I have a few projects I've been considering and weighing, but thanks to the Oscar I've been busy beyond belief and once everything settles I'll get a chance to think about what the next project is going to be

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