Born in 1972, Mika Ninagawa is a photographer with a long list of awards, gallery shows, photo books and credits, from fashion magazine spreads to CD covers. Known for her vivid sense of color and composition, Ninagawa has been branching out into video production and now film, with her first feature "Sakuran." At a recent interview with The Japan Times, Ninagawa was a ball of verbal energy, rattling off lengthy answers with sub clauses to the sub clauses. Our 30 minutes together were less an interaction than an inundation from her active, fertile mind.

What made you decide to take on this project?

First, I had to be sure that I could bring the (manga) story to life. Second, I had to be sure that it was something only I could do. If it wasn't, there were any number of directors who would be able to film it.