There can be very few countries anywhere in the world that can boast a photography scene as vibrant and varied as that of Japan – a technology-embracing, fast-evolving, introspective nation which for decades has produced dozens of major artists in the field, many of them specialising in diary-style black-and-white images. Six are profiled here by Portuguese directors Martins and Príncipe in a jaggedly poetic documentary which manages to be as visually striking as the work made by its own subjects – it was shot using Russian wind-up 16mm Krasnogork3 cameras that capture high-contrast, timelessly monochrome images. Bracingly unconventional in both style and content, Traces of a Diary is obviously essential viewing for anyone interested in photography and/or contemporary Japan, and also stands as an invaluable introduction to the brilliant likes of Daido Moriyama, Hiromix, Takuma Nakahira and – the superstar of the bunch – Nobuyoshi Araki. —Bradford International Film Festival
Marco Martins (born 1972 in Lisbon, Portugal) is a Portuguese film director, best known for his 2005 filmAlice, which premiered at Cannes and won the Best Picture Award at the Directors’ Fortnight.
In 1994 Marco Martins graduated from Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema, and soon afterwards undertook an apprenticeship with Wim Wenders, Manoel de Oliveira and Bertrand Tavernier. For two years following, he worked as assistant director to João Canijo, a fellow Portuguese director.
During this period, his short films Mergulho no Ano Novo and No Caminho Para a Escola received critical acclaim, the former winning Best Short Film Award at the International Short Films Festival of Vila do Conde, and the latter taking Best Short Film and Best Director Awards at the VII Festival Ibérico de Cinema de Badajoz as well as the Eixo Atlântico Award at the Festival de Ourense
He began shooting advertisements in the late 90’s and in 2002 started his own production… read more
