In a colour palette reminiscent of Godard’s Pierrot le Fou (1965), two people who have nothing left to lose embark on a nihilistic road trip through northern Japan. The only full length feature film by Fujisawa, Bye Bye Love is a dizzying road movie depicting a young couple rebelling against an authoritarian state. Lost for a number of years and then rediscovered in 2018, the film is a slice of 70’s Japanese counterculture; capturing the mood bubbling under the surface of the 1960s. In the decades-long shadow, during an era of growing neo-liberalism, the film was made DIY style on a low budget, self funded by its director. (Myriam Mouflih)

Isao Fujisawa was born December 17, 1941 in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture. During his college days, he worked as an assistant director on Hiroshi Teshigahara’s Woman in the Dunes (1964) and The Face of Another (1966) before going on to work on the yakuza films of Yasuo Furuhata. After writing and directing Bye Bye Love (1974) he worked predominantly as a director on television documentaries. He has received numerous awards, including for Anna Ogino Living in Unforgivable Love and The Apple of Life, which also gained theatrical release. His latest film is the feature-length documentary film Tokyo Meoto Zenzai (2023).

Filmography: Tokyo Meoto Zenzai (2023), Inochi no Ringo (2013), Bye Bye Love (1974)

Selected television credits: Morita Doji-Last Waltz, Moss Saves the Heat Island, Anna Ogino: Living in Unforgivable Love, Kokoromi Gakuen Wine Newsletter