Takeshi Kitano makes his comeback at Cannes next week with a new samurai epic, but the cult Japanese filmmaker says he strives to remain "indifferent" to success.
Kitano, who rose to fame as a comedian before winning acclaim as an arthouse director, adds that he does things his own way.
"If I receive recognition abroad, I'm happy, but I want to be as indifferent to that as possible," he says in Tokyo before departing for the French film festival. "I'd be very happy if something I'd shot... received good reviews. But that doesn't mean I will try to please."