TOKYO -- When Yu Shibuya, an independent Japanese filmmaker, tells American producers the budget of his upcoming feature film, their jaws drop in amazement, he says.
"In the U.S., filmmaking is a whole other game," says Shibuya, an award-winning filmmaker, stage director and writer whose first feature film, "An Umbrella for Miharu," just opened in Japan on Jan. 24. "The unions are strong, and the workers are protected all across the board. In Japan, it's customary for everyone to work for a fraction of the budget [and] double or more hours."
