- Fran Rubel Kuzui
Fran Rubel Kuzui is an American movie director and producer. She received her
Masters degree fromNew York University and was ascript supervisor for a decade, prior to her first film, 1988's "Tokyo Pop ", which she co-wrote and directed. The movie received critical acclaim for its depiction of an American woman trying to make sense of the Japaneseyouth culture . [cite news
url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE0DA1631F936A25757C0A96E948260
publisher=New York Times
title=In 'Tokyo Pop,' Youth Cultures Clash
first=Walter
laster=Goodman
date=1988-04-15
accessdate=2007-02-26
quote=You don't have to be a fan of rock music to get a kick out of "Tokyo Pop," a wedding of American and Japanese youth cultures as seen through a fun-house mirror.]However, she is best known as the director of the light-hearted 1992 "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" film, which was re-imagined in the television series of the same name. [cite web
url=http://www.fast-rewind.com/tokyopop.htm
publisher=Fast-Rewind.com
title=Tokyo Pop (1988)
first=Bridgette
last=Marie
accessdate=2007-02-26] She discovered thescreenplay of then unknown television writerJoss Whedon and put together the financing to produce the picture. [cite web
url=http://members.aol.com/morgands1/closeup/text/kuzui.htm
title=Interview with Fran Rubel Kuzui
publisher=Wide Angle Closeup
first=David
last=Morgan
accessdate=2007-02-26] Her vision of the film did not match Whedon's, and the film received [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/buffy_the_vampire_slayer/ mixed reviews] , which noted the uneven direction and comic timing.She, along with her husband
Kaz Kuzui founded Kuzui Enterprises, which distributes US films in Japan, and imports Japanese films for the US market. In addition to holding a portion of rights to the Buffy character, Kuzui Enterprises were also theexecutive producer s of the TV series and its spin-off "Angel". In 2003, the Kuzuis were among the executive producers for the acclaimed Thai-Japanese film "Last Life in the Universe ". [cite web|url=http://imdb.com/title/tt0345549/fullcredits|publication=IMDB.com|title=Last Life in the Universe full credits|accessdate=2007-04-09] In 1997, Kuzui Enterprises was among the producers for "Orgazmo " and "Telling Lies in America ".External links
* [http://members.aol.com/morgands1/closeup/text/kuzui.htm Interview with Fran Rubel Kuzui] , Wide Angle Closeup
*imdb name|id=0476900|name=Fran Rubel KuzuiReferences
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.