Exclusive Interview with NHK

1/ International Priorities

In a sector undergoing major transformation, where are you focusing your strategic efforts internationally, and with what objectives?

We'd like to keep focusing on presenting images that viewers have never seen before using cutting-edge technology, which is NHK's strong suit and something we've always sought. One example is one of our next projects, which will feature the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. 2026 is the 100th anniversary of Antoni Gaudi's death, and in June the completion of the cathedral's central towers will be announced to the world. NHK built confidence and a solid connection with the Sagrada Familia through its long-term shooting efforts, and it was granted permission to film the construction of the center towers beginning in 2010. We were granted exclusive shooting permission for the completion of the last Tower of Jesus, which stands at 172.5 meters. As a result, NHK is the only producer who was permitted to closely follow the leading architects, artists, foremen, and craftsmen in the final days of the tower's construction and fly drones to capture the completed structure from above and inside. Our technological team developed an 8K x 8K camera to shoot the breathtakingly stunning interior of the tower, as well as other parts of the cathedral, in detail from unique vantage points. This film allows viewers to enjoy a highly immersive experience at previously unimaginable levels since the resolution is so great that closeups allow for the examination of minor details. We would like to provide our viewers with such innovative and exciting images generated using cutting-edge techniques in order to entertain and attract a diverse spectrum of viewers, including young and family audiences.

2/ What Is Changing Your Decisions

What is the one editorial, technological, or market change that is having the greatest impact on the way you select documentary projects today, and how?

We are also facing reduced budgets and slots for documentary programs. In such a context, it has become increasingly crucial for us to promote international co-productions to provide our audience with impactful or diversified programming. Our current project, Tiger in the Sky, is expected to address such demands. It is a collaboration between NHK, Bhutan Broadcasting Service, and India’s Riverbank Studios. In recent years, traces of wild tigers have been observed in the highland regions of the Himalayas at altitudes approaching 5,000 meters, defying the commonly held belief that tigers are adapted to lowland jungles and should not travel in alpine areas. Bhutanese authorities have long banned foreign producers from filming, but NHK has obtained permission. To overthrow the prevailing bias and confirm the existence of wild tigers wondering in the Himalayas. NHK organizes an international crew consisting of a Bhutanese team and an Indian expert cameraman who specializes in tiger filming. They will also use 1,000 camera traps set up by Bhutan's Department of Forests and Park Services and the production crew to determine whether tigers actually visit the snowy mountains.

We believe that projects like this that leverage the producers' collective abilities, expertise, local networks, and exclusive access are highly appealing and valuable. As an Asian public broadcaster, we hope to continue to lead in delivering Asian stories by cooperating with Asian producers to incorporate local viewpoints and mentalities.

3/ New Collaborations

The theme of Sunny Side of the Doc 2026, “The Right Move / Le Bon Élan,” encourages the creation of new alliances. What kind of partner are you hoping to meet in La Rochelle that you have not yet found?

We would like to further develop our partnerships with our Asian partners, and through collaboration with them, share fresh, compelling stories from Asia with the world that are unknown or have received little attention. NHK is currently developing projects with Mongolian, Chinese, and Thai producers. The market expansion of OTT services increased the reach of locally generated content to a worldwide audience. Viewers now have additional opportunities to see local content from various locations that they would not have known about without the global service providers. The wider interest and growing demand from the global audience for such local stories serve as the backdrop to our strategy of strengthening ties with Asian partners. At the same time, we’d also be willing to collaborate with the producers who can help us introduce Japanese audience to local stories not only from Asia but also from other regions where NHK alone can hardly secure accesses because of the lack of local networks.

NHK is always committed to the development of innovative forms of visual expression as well as the propagation of local people’s voices around the world. We are continuously looking for partners who share our values and can help us achieve our goals, particularly in bringing our co-produced programs to the global market or providing Japanese viewers with quality content from around the world. However, collaborating with the right partners is essential for successful international co-productions. To create higher-quality content, coproducers must be deeply respectful of one another and willing to accept each other's ideas. Communication is key to overcoming challenges encountered during production. We want to cherish the relationships we've built so far and use our past experiences as a basis for our future challenges, thereby strengthening our long-term partnerships.