Shunji Todo

1947 Born in Osaka
1970 Graduated from Kyushu Industrial College, majored in art photography
1971 Photo collection "Chihei" launched in Fukuoka
1972 Became a professor in Osaka photography arts college
1978 Exhibition at Nicon Salon "Osaka Tennoji"
1985 Exhibition at Nicon Salon "Shinsekai now and then"
1986 "Shinsekai now and then" photography collection published
1992 Exhibition at Nicon Salon "Shuo-yuraku Bangkok" 「聚王遊楽バンコク」
1989 Ms. Naomi Kawase graduated from the Osaka photography arts college film major.
1990- Ms. Naomi Kawase worked as an assistant of the Osaka photography arts college.

I felt compassion of her activeness and enthusiasm.
I gave the whole amount of the research funds to her as the leader of the group for making independent film"Nitsutsumarete-" in 1992

1995 Winning the Japan Photography Association Annual Award with the
photography exhibition and collection "Rakudo-Kiihanto"
Took photographs of Nishi-Yoshino which was chosen for the setting of "Suzaku".
1998 President of the Visual Arts College(Ex- the Osaka photography arts college.)　
2000　　Individual exhibition "A thousand year-Rakudo Kiihanto" at Nara City photography museum.
2001 Mr. Kazuo Nishii(The chief editor of Chronicle of Mainichi news paper/a photography commentator) who was my friend for 30 years asked director Kawase to make film of him when he was sick in bed with cancer.
2002 "Reminiscence Dance" TV special version as a producer
"A Letter from Sakura"（NHK-BS2）
2003 I participated at the Cannes Film Festival competition with the official film "Sarasoju" as one of its producer.
Photography collection "Sarasoju" featuring film director Naomi Kawase published.　

April 24th, 2004　
"April 24th, 2004, a filmmaker Naomi Kawase gave a birth to a baty.
A photographer Shunji Dodo, who had been watching the world of Kawase was beside her at that moment and filmed it clearly. As a result, the "Hanabo" series was completed. However, these films are not only the documentary of the moment of a birth. It can be interpreted as a metaphor expressing "The story" itself, which Kawase herself had inside her as a filmmaker and gave a birth to. This photography collection "Hanabo" starts with fireworks in the winter sky. This is the fireworks for Yamayaki-mountain burning of Wakakusa mountain in Nara in January every year. A full bloomed huge cherry blossom tree appears after the title written by Kawase herself. This is also the old cherry blossom tree behind Shosoin treasure hall of Todaiji in Nara which blooms every spring. The delivery goes on in a soft lighted room and the baby is born.

Dodo expresses the rich time of a child, a mother and a grandmother to get together into a circle dramatically and also solemnly.
Yoshinori Nomura, publisher of the photography collection "Hanabo"

2006　　"Hanabo" at Gallery.OUT of PLACE Nara
2007 　　"Hanabo" Vegetable Kitchen at gallery Bauhaus Tokyo
"Ha-Ha"Focale Galerie Locarno Swiss
Joined "Mourning Forest", Cannes International Film Festival grand prize winning film as one of the producers
Shared great time of the last day of the Cannes second time with director Kawase and other people.
Realized that a film move people's soul.
2008 Joined "Nanayomachi" featuring Kyoko Hasegawa as one of the producers.
Filmed in Bangkok.
2009 Joined the Nara International Film Festival Project

I hope we can excavate the possibility of new films from the unique natural features of Nara and the new film directors.
I would like to keep being a sensitive hunter in my mind always.