Koji Yakusho is simply one of the very best actors, not just in Japan, but in the world. He's worked with some of the best directors in Japan and appeared in a lot of important and memorable films - Warm Water Under A Red Bridge, Shall We Dance, Unagi, University Of Laughs - and has been a favourite with director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, appearing in almost every one of his films. The guy can do almost any genre, and he's also made some headway into Hollywood recently.

But the big news today is, Yakusho is busy at work on his directorial debut, a film called Gama no Abura (Frog's Oil).

It wraps at the end of the month, and producer Phantom Film hopes to get it into Cannes.