Film Director: 429 people
Takahiro Miki (三木孝浩, Miki Takahiro) is a Japanese film, television and music video director.
Miwa Nishikawa (西川美和, Nishikawa Miwa; born July 8, 1974 in Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima) is a Japanese director and…
Miwa Nishikawa (西川美和, Nishikawa Miwa; born July 8, 1974 in Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima) is a Japanese director and screenwriter. Nishikawa received a degree in literature from the University of Waseda, and after working on several independent films as well as catching the eye of Hirokazu Kore-eda, her film making career took off with her first film, Wild Berries, which won the award for best screenplay at the Mainichi Film Award. In addition to her film making career, Nishikawa has also written a book titled The Long Excuse.
Sang-il Lee (Japanese: 李 相日, Hepburn: Ri San'iru; Korean: 이상일, born January 6, 1974) is a film director based in Japan.…
Sang-il Lee (Japanese: 李 相日, Hepburn: Ri San'iru; Korean: 이상일, born January 6, 1974) is a film director based in Japan. He is a third-generation Zainichi Korean born in Niigata and raised in Yokohama, Japan. His films often explore human conflict and societal issues. He has received multiple awards at the Japan Academy Film Prize, including Picture of the Year and Director of the Year. Lee began his career with his graduation project from the Japan Institute of the Moving Image, Blue – Chong (1999). The coming-of-age film, featuring a main character who attends a North Korean-affiliated high school mirroring Lee's own background, won four awards including the Grand Prize at the 2000 Pia Film Festival (PFF). His 2006 film Hula Girls, which depicts coal miners' daughters saving their declining town through hula dancing, won Best Picture and Best Director at the Japan Academy Film Prize, and was selected as Japan's official entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 79th Academy Awards. He subsequently directed adaptations of Shuichi Yoshida's novels. Villain (2010), which depicts the aftermath of a murder, and Rage (2016), an ensemble drama exploring suspicion and trust, both received numerous Japan Academy nominations and acting awards. In addition to directing a Japanese remake of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven (2013) and the kidnapping drama The Wandering Moon (2022), Lee directed his third Yoshida adaptation, Kokuho (2025). The film, which depicts the lives of kabuki actors, grossed over 20.34 billion yen, surpassing Bayside Shakedown 2 to become the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film in history. It won 10 categories at the 49th Japan Academy Film Prize and earned a nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 98th Academy Awards. In 2025, Lee received the Akira Kurosawa Award at the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival. The following year, he was awarded the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Art Encouragement Prize from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, as well as the Japan Art Academy Prize.
Hiroshi Nishio (Japanese: 西尾 孔志, Hepburn: Nishio Hiroshi) is a Japanese film director, animator, and writer born in…
Hiroshi Nishio (Japanese: 西尾 孔志, Hepburn: Nishio Hiroshi) is a Japanese film director, animator, and writer born in 1974 in Osaka, where he is currently based. Nishio started his career as an animator on anime including "Moldiver" and the TV series Sosei kishi Gaiasu. As a teenager, he started working on sets of movies by Japanese director Kinji Fukasaku. He moved on from animation, starting off with short films, before making his first feature film National Anthem—a horror film—in 2003. His next movie was the surreal Ochon-chan: Pussy's Adventures in Love and Revolution (Ochonchan no ai to bōken to kakumei おちょんちゃんの愛と冒険と革命) in 2005. Ochon-chan was picked for Osaka's CO2 Film Festival, and then was one of two movies selected from that to feature at the 2005 Raindance Film Festival in London. His most recent film Hakodate Coffee was shot in Hokkaido, Japan, and was based on the manga of the same name. His recent movies are often generally quirky dramas, with a touch of comedy, set in rural Japan. Nishio won the Osaka Film Festival New Director's Award in 2013, for Souru furawâ torein. His most recent movie is the human comedy drama, Shining Star Kuzu.
Atsushi Funahashi (舩橋 淳, Funahashi Atsushi; born 1974) is a Japanese film director.
Ken Yasuda (安田 顕, Yasuda Ken; born 8 December 1973) is a Japanese actor, television personality and seiyu. Born in…
Ken Yasuda (安田 顕, Yasuda Ken; born 8 December 1973) is a Japanese actor, television personality and seiyu. Born in Muroran, Hokkaido, he is a member of Team Nacs. He is a graduate of Hokkaido Muroran Sakae High School and Hokkai Gakuen University. Fumio Yasuda is his older brother.
Shigeyuki Totsugi (戸次 重幸, Totsugi Shigeyuki; born November 7, 1973) is a Japanese actor, TV personality, voice actor…
Shigeyuki Totsugi (戸次 重幸, Totsugi Shigeyuki; born November 7, 1973) is a Japanese actor, TV personality, voice actor, screenwriter, theatre director, and singer. His real name and former stage name is Shigeyuki Sato (佐藤 重幸, Sato Shigeyuki). He was born in Teine-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido. He is a member of the TEAM NACS. He graduated from Hokkaido Sapporo Teine High School and, Hokkai Gakuen University. His wife is actress Yui Ichikawa.
Ryota Nakano is a Japanese film director known for his films Her Love Boils Bathwater (2016), A Long Goodbye (2019)…
Ryota Nakano is a Japanese film director known for his films Her Love Boils Bathwater (2016), A Long Goodbye (2019), and The Asadas (2020).
Yo Oizumi (大泉 洋, Ōizumi Yō; born April 3, 1973) is a Japanese actor, comedian, television personality and voice actor.…
Yo Oizumi (大泉 洋, Ōizumi Yō; born April 3, 1973) is a Japanese actor, comedian, television personality and voice actor. He is a member of the theatrical and musical unit Team Nacs, and is represented by Creative Office Cue. His wife Kumiko Nakajima is a drama producer at Fuji TV. His senior brother Jun Oizumi is 10th public elected Mayor of Hakodate. In 1995, while still in university, Oizumi debuted as an entertainer on the late-night program Mosaic nights aired in Hokkaidō. He first gained popularity on the television series How Do You Like Wednesday?, and has since expanded to various fields of entertainment, such as television dramas, films, voice acting and music.
Makoto Niitsu (新津 誠, Niitsu Makoto; born February 9, 1973), known as Makoto Shinkai (新海 誠, Shinkai Makoto), is a…
Makoto Niitsu (新津 誠, Niitsu Makoto; born February 9, 1973), known as Makoto Shinkai (新海 誠, Shinkai Makoto), is a Japanese filmmaker and novelist. A founder of CoMix Wave Films, he is known for his anime feature films enriched with visually-appealing animation and romantic stories depicting teenagers and high school students. Shinkai began his career as a video game animator with Nihon Falcom in 1996, and gained recognition as a filmmaker with the release of the original video animation (OVA) She and Her Cat (1999). Shinkai then released the science fiction OVA Voices of a Distant Star in 2002 as his first feature with CoMix Wave, followed by his debut feature film The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004). Shinkai's films have consistently received highly positive reviews from both critics and audiences, and he is considered to be one of Japan's most commercially successful filmmakers. His three most recent films Your Name (2016), Weathering with You (2019), and Suzume (2022), collectively known as his Disaster Trilogy, are all among the highest-grossing Japanese films of all time, both in Japan and worldwide at the time of their release.
Takeshi Furusawa (古澤健, Furusawa Takeshi; born 22 October 1972) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.
Mika Ninagawa (蜷川 実花, Ninagawa Mika; born October 18, 1972) is a Japanese photographer and director, known for her…
Mika Ninagawa (蜷川 実花, Ninagawa Mika; born October 18, 1972) is a Japanese photographer and director, known for her brightly colored photographs of flowers, goldfish, and landscapes.
Kenta Fukasaku (深作 健太, Fukasaku Kenta; born September 15, 1972) is a Japanese filmmaker and screenwriter. He is the son…
Kenta Fukasaku (深作 健太, Fukasaku Kenta; born September 15, 1972) is a Japanese filmmaker and screenwriter. He is the son of film director Kinji Fukasaku and actress Sanae Nakahara.
Takashi Shimizu (清水 崇 Shimizu Takashi, born 27 July 1972) is a Japanese filmmaker. He is best known for being the…
Takashi Shimizu (清水 崇 Shimizu Takashi, born 27 July 1972) is a Japanese filmmaker. He is best known for being the creator of the Ju-On franchise, directing the first four installments, in addition to directing the first two installments in its American remake franchise, The Grudge. According to film scholar Wheeler Winston Dixon, Shimizu is "one of a new breed of Japanese horror directors" who prefers to "suggest menace and violence rather than directly depict it".
Naoko Ogigami (荻上 直子, Ogigami Naoko; born 1972 in Chiba Prefecture) is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and…
Naoko Ogigami (荻上 直子, Ogigami Naoko; born 1972 in Chiba Prefecture) is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and cinematographer. She first began gaining attention after winning several prizes at the PIA Film Festival for her short film Hoshino-Kun, Yumeno-Kun (2001). Among her most notable works are her films Kamome Shokudo and Megane. Her filmography is typified by their minimalistic quality and a common theme of questioning national identity. At the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival Megane won the Manfred Salzgeber Award, for "broadening the boundaries of cinema today."
Kenji Uchida (内田けんじ, Uchida Kenji; born 1972 in Kanagawa Prefecture) is a Japanese film director. He studied filmmaking…
Kenji Uchida (内田けんじ, Uchida Kenji; born 1972 in Kanagawa Prefecture) is a Japanese film director. He studied filmmaking at San Francisco State University. His independently produced film Weekend Blues won two awards at the 24th Pia Film Festival in 2001. His theatrical feature film debut, A Stranger of Mine (2005), won four awards at the Cannes Film Festival, and also earned him the Best Director award at the 30th Hochi Film Award.
Yūdai Yamaguchi (山口 雄大, Yamaguchi Yūdai; born 1971) is a Japanese film director who has worked mainly in the comedy and…
Yūdai Yamaguchi (山口 雄大, Yamaguchi Yūdai; born 1971) is a Japanese film director who has worked mainly in the comedy and horror genres. He has "made a name for himself by mixing goofy gore with manga-esque escapades and plain utter weirdness".
Tomoko Matsunashi (松梨 智子, Matsunashi Tomoko) is a Japanese film director and actress. She was described in 2007 as one…
Tomoko Matsunashi (松梨 智子, Matsunashi Tomoko) is a Japanese film director and actress. She was described in 2007 as one of the female Japanese directors who "have brought some needed originality and talent to contemporary Japanese cinema."
Kenji Ogusu Japanese: 小楠健志 is a Japanese retired mixed martial artist.
Hiroshi Matsuyama (Japanese: 松山洋), born in November 23, 1970 in Fukuoka, is a Japanese game designer. He is the CEO of…
Hiroshi Matsuyama (Japanese: 松山洋), born in November 23, 1970 in Fukuoka, is a Japanese game designer. He is the CEO of the company CyberConnect2. He developed multiple games including the .hack franchise as well as adaptations of the anime series including Naruto and Dragon Ball. Besides developing games, Matsuyama has participated in directing two .hack films as well as voicing a character from the series.
Koichi Sakamoto (Japanese: 坂本 浩一, Hepburn: Sakamoto Kōichi) is a Japanese and American film and television director…
Koichi Sakamoto (Japanese: 坂本 浩一, Hepburn: Sakamoto Kōichi) is a Japanese and American film and television director, stunt performer and coordinator, fight choreographer and producer. He is best known for his work in the tokusatsu genre, particularly for the Super Sentai, Power Rangers and Kamen Rider franchises.
Shinsuke Sato (佐藤 信介, Satō Shinsuke; born September 16, 1970) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He has…
Shinsuke Sato (佐藤 信介, Satō Shinsuke; born September 16, 1970) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He has directed several live-action film adaptations of manga and anime, including The Princess Blade (2001), Gantz (2011), I Am a Hero (2016), Bleach (2018), Inuyashiki (2018), Kingdom (2019) and its sequels.
Tatsushi Ōmori (大森立嗣, Ōmori Tatsushi; born 4 September 1970) is a Japanese film director and actor.
Yoshihiro Nakamura (中村義洋, Nakamura Yoshihiro) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter, known for his 2009 film…
Yoshihiro Nakamura (中村義洋, Nakamura Yoshihiro) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter, known for his 2009 film Fish Story, which premiered at the New York Asian Film Festival, and A Boy and His Samurai, which won the Audience Award at the 2011 New York Asian Film Festival.
Kankurō Kudō (宮藤 官九郎, Kudō Kankurō; born July 19, 1970 in Miyagi Prefecture) is a Japanese screenwriter, dramatist…
Kankurō Kudō (宮藤 官九郎, Kudō Kankurō; born July 19, 1970 in Miyagi Prefecture) is a Japanese screenwriter, dramatist, director, actor and member of the theater company Otona Keikaku. He won the 'Best Screenplay' award at the 2002 Japanese Academy Awards for Go, which explores problems faced by people of Korean-heritage living in Japan. He acted in Crying Out Love in the Center of the World, and is also guitarist in the Japanese comedy rock band Group Tamashii.
Kazuhiro Soda (想田 和弘, Sōda Kazuhiro; born 1970 in Tochigi Prefecture) is a Japanese documentary filmmaker and author…
Kazuhiro Soda (想田 和弘, Sōda Kazuhiro; born 1970 in Tochigi Prefecture) is a Japanese documentary filmmaker and author based in New York City. He is known for his observational method of documentary filmmaking. Soda obtained a degree in religious studies from the University of Tokyo in 1993 and a BFA in filmmaking from the School of Visual Arts in New York, where he has remained since, in 1997.
Hiroyuki Amano (天野 ひろゆき, 天野 博之, Amano Hiroyuki; born 24 March 1970, in Okazaki, Aichi) is a Japanese comedian, actor…
Hiroyuki Amano (天野 ひろゆき, 天野 博之, Amano Hiroyuki; born 24 March 1970, in Okazaki, Aichi) is a Japanese comedian, actor, voice actor, television presenter, film director and film critic. He is nicknamed Amanocchi (天野っち). He performs tsukkomi and make stories in the comedy duo Kyaeen. His partner is Udo Suzuki. Amano is represented with Asai Kikaku. He graduated from Okazaki City South Junior High School, Aichi University of Education University High School and Nihon University College of International Relations International Cultural Department (now International Liberal Arts Department).
Junichi Kajioka (梶岡潤一, Kajioka Junichi) is a Japanese actor and producer.
Ryuhei Kitamura (北村龍平, Kitamura Ryūhei; May 30, 1969) is a Japanese film director, producer, and screenwriter. Kitamura…
Ryuhei Kitamura (北村龍平, Kitamura Ryūhei; May 30, 1969) is a Japanese film director, producer, and screenwriter. Kitamura relocated to Sydney, Australia at age 17 and attended a school for visual arts for two years. In 1997, Kitamura directed and produced the short film Down to Hell, which received a positive response from students, teachers, and an award which motivated Kitamura to seriously pursue a film career. He went on to independently finance and direct his feature film debut Versus (2000). The film proved to be successful within the film festival circuit and opened doors for Kitamura to direct more high-profile films such as Alive (2002), Sky High (2003), Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), The Midnight Meat Train (2008), No One Lives (2012), the live-action adaptation of Lupin the 3rd (2014), and several other Japanese and Hollywood productions.
Yukiko Mishima (Japanese: 三島有紀子) is a Japanese film director born (1969-04-22)April 22, 1969 in Kita-ku, Osaka. Her…
Yukiko Mishima (Japanese: 三島有紀子) is a Japanese film director born (1969-04-22)April 22, 1969 in Kita-ku, Osaka. Her first feature film, Shisei: Nihohi tsuki no gotoku, based on the Jun'ichirō Tanizaki story "The Tatooer", was released in 2009. She received best director from the Hochi Film Award in 2017 for Dear Etranger, and Special Grand Prix of the Jury award at the Montreal World Film Festival. Shape of Red, an adaptation of Rio Shimamoto's 2014 novel Reddo, was released in 2020. She is a graduate of Kobe College.
Seiichi Tanabe (田辺誠一) is a Japanese actor. He won the award for best actor at the 24th Yokohama Film Festival for Hush!…
Seiichi Tanabe (田辺誠一) is a Japanese actor. He won the award for best actor at the 24th Yokohama Film Festival for Hush! and at the 27th Hochi Film Award for Hush! and Harmful Insect.
Seiichi Hishikawa (菱川 勢一, Hishikawa Seiichi; born in 1969 in Tokyo) is a Japanese film maker, art director, and…
Seiichi Hishikawa (菱川 勢一, Hishikawa Seiichi; born in 1969 in Tokyo) is a Japanese film maker, art director, and photographer who began his career in the music industry. He entered CBS/Sony Group in the General Affairs section, General Affairs division, and eventually moved on to the Sony Corporation. PR/Advertising division, overseeing a great number of events at the Ginza Sony Building etc. as an assistant producer. This was also the time that he began producing exhibitions for creators of contemporary art as well as artists. In 1991, Hishikawa moved to New York and moved from music to film, as an editing engineer as well as a cinematographer, gaining experience in media including TV and movies. After returning to Japan, he gained experience as a freelance set director, cinematographer, and theatre director before establishing Drawing and Manual, a company that does graphic design and film. That same year, he hosted a motion graphics exhibition at the Axis Gallery in Roppongi, leading the motion graphics movement and attracting a total of 45,000 visitors despite being self-hosted. Known as the founder of that movement, Hishikawa established his own design studio in 2003, Standard Series, Inc. Expanding on the cinema, web, and graphic design work he has done up until now, the company also provides brand design and design consultation services. In 2009, Hishikawa joined Drawing and Manual again, and he accepted a position to teach in the Department of Science of Design, Musashino Art University. He achieved the triple crown in 2011 after taking top honors in the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival for directing the NTT Docomo commercial “Xylophone.”
Byron P. Howard (born December 26, 1968) is an American animator, character designer, story artist, film director…
Byron P. Howard (born December 26, 1968) is an American animator, character designer, story artist, film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is one of the directors of the Walt Disney Animation Studios films Bolt (2008), Tangled (2010), Zootopia (2016), Encanto (2021), and Zootopia 2 (2025). He received four Academy Award nominations, with the latter two won for Zootopia and Encanto.
Tomoyuki Furumaya (古厩 智之, Furumaya Tomoyuki) (born 14 November 1968) is a Japanese film director.
Akiko Ōku (大九 明子, Ōku Akiko; born October 8, 1968), also romanised as Akiko Ohku, is a Japanese film director and…
Akiko Ōku (大九 明子, Ōku Akiko; born October 8, 1968), also romanised as Akiko Ohku, is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Ōku's best-known film to date is her 2017 romantic comedy Tremble All You Want. She won two Audience Awards, and was nominated for several Best Film awards at Tokyo International Film Festival and Nippon Connection Japanese film festival.
Isao Yukisada (行定 勲, Yukisada Isao; born August 3, 1968) is a Japanese film director from Kumamoto. He served as…
Isao Yukisada (行定 勲, Yukisada Isao; born August 3, 1968) is a Japanese film director from Kumamoto. He served as assistant director on Shunji Iwai's Love Letter, April Story, and Swallowtail Butterfly.
Kishu Izuchi (井土紀州, Izuchi Kishū; born 1968) is a film director and screenwriter from Japan. He has often collaborated…
Kishu Izuchi (井土紀州, Izuchi Kishū; born 1968) is a film director and screenwriter from Japan. He has often collaborated with Takahisa Zeze.
Gen Sekiguchi (関口現, born February 10, 1968, in Saitama Prefecture) is a Japanese television advertisement director.…
Gen Sekiguchi (関口現, born February 10, 1968, in Saitama Prefecture) is a Japanese television advertisement director. Outside of TV commercials, he directed the short films Bus Panic!!! (2001) and Worst Contact (2000) and the feature film Survive Style 5+ (2004), starring Tadanobu Asano, Reika Hashimoto, Jai West and Vinnie Jones. He also directed and wrote the segment 'Sebiro Yashiki' ("The House of Abandoned Businessmen") in the compilation film Quirky Guys and Gals, and music videos for the bands Supercar, Polysics, and Smap.
Yoshimasa Ishibashi (石橋義正, Ishibashi Yoshimasa; born 1968) is a Japanese video, experimental film and performance…
Yoshimasa Ishibashi (石橋義正, Ishibashi Yoshimasa; born 1968) is a Japanese video, experimental film and performance artist based in Kyoto, Japan and the leader of the Kyupi Kyupi artist collective, founded in 1996. He has directed work for both art museums, including Kyupi Kyupi performances at the Palais de Tokyo and Tate Modern in 2003, and commercial television and film, his most famous creation being the Fuccons, a family of mannequins who first appeared in Vermilion Pleasure Night in 2000 and since in their own program Oh! Mikey and its spin-offs.
Yūji Tajiri (田尻裕司, Tajiri Yūji) is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is one of the group of pink…
Yūji Tajiri (田尻裕司, Tajiri Yūji) is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is one of the group of pink film directors collectively known as the "Seven Lucky Gods of Pink" (ピンク七福神, shichifukujin), a group which also includes Toshiya Ueno, Mitsuru Meike, Shinji Imaoka, Yoshitaka Kamata, Toshirō Enomoto and Rei Sakamoto.
Tsutomu Hanabusa (英 勉, Hanabusa Tsutomu) is a Japanese film director.
Ryūji Miyajima (宮島 竜治, Miyajima Ryūji; born July 13, 1967) is a Japanese film editor who has received six Japanese…
Ryūji Miyajima (宮島 竜治, Miyajima Ryūji; born July 13, 1967) is a Japanese film editor who has received six Japanese Academy Awards, three for films directed by Takashi Yamazaki.
Kōzo Nomura (野村 耕蔵, Nomura Kōzo; born July 10, 1967), known professionally as Ikki Sawamura (沢村 一樹), is a Japanese…
Kōzo Nomura (野村 耕蔵, Nomura Kōzo; born July 10, 1967), known professionally as Ikki Sawamura (沢村 一樹), is a Japanese model, film and television actor, and television presenter signed to Ken-On.
Yoshihiro Nishimura (西村喜廣, Nishimura Yoshihiro) (1 April 1967 – 25 May 2026) was a Japanese film director, special…
Yoshihiro Nishimura (西村喜廣, Nishimura Yoshihiro) (1 April 1967 – 25 May 2026) was a Japanese film director, special effects and makeup effects artist, and screenwriter who worked predominantly in the horror genre. Nishimura has been described as "a legendary director and effects artist" and "the Tom Savini of Japan" with "talent to burn".
Eiichirō Hasumi (羽住英一郎, Hasumi Eiichirō) is a Japanese film director.
Naoyuki Tomomatsu (友松 直之, Tomomatsu Naoyuki) (born 1967) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter who has worked in…
Naoyuki Tomomatsu (友松 直之, Tomomatsu Naoyuki) (born 1967) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter who has worked in the pink film and horror genres.
Masaharu Take (武 正晴, Take Masaharu; born 1967 in Chita, Aichi) is a Japanese film director. Take began working in the…
Masaharu Take (武 正晴, Take Masaharu; born 1967 in Chita, Aichi) is a Japanese film director. Take began working in the film industry without any formal training. Among his first contributions to film productions as an assistant director were Gonin (1995) and Gonin 2 (1996, both directed by Takashi Ishii). After some more years as an assistant director, his first own film as director followed in 2006, Boy Meets Pusan (ボーイ・ミーツ・プサン, Bōi mītsu Pusan). After that he worked for several years as both director and assistant director. An important role model for Take at that time was the director Kazuyuki Izutsu for whom Take worked as assistant director in many films, including Get Up! / Geroppa! in 2003, Break Through! / Pacchigi! in 2005, and Fly with the Gold / Ōgon o daite tobe in 2012. Take achieved some popularity when his film 100 Yen Love (百円の恋, Hyakuen no koi, 2014) was submitted for the 88th Academy Awards as Best Foreign Language Film (though ultimately not nominated). For Take, this honour came as a surprise, as he himself said. 100 Yen Love is about a woman working as a shop assistant in a 100-yen shop who takes up boxing. In 2017, Take revisited the theme of combat sport in The Ringside Story (リングサイド・ストーリー, Ringusaido sutōrī), a film about wrestling. The Gun (銃, Jū) from 2018 is Take's first and to date only film for which he also wrote the script. It is based on Fuminori Nakamuras debut novel of the same title from 2002. The Gun is about a university student who accidentally comes into possession of a handgun. In a review, a critic compared the film to Japanese New Wave cinema and Nagisa Ōshima, and praised the performance of main actor Nijirō Murakami. Another critic praised the film for illustrating the phantasmatic nature of the phallus and the role it plays within male subjectivity. In 2019, Take directed a television series for the first time (The Naked Director). His 2018 film We Make Antiques (嘘八百, Uso happyaku) was so successful that a sequel followed in 2020, also directed by Take. As his influences and personal favourites, Take names the directors Yūzō Kawashima, Martin Scorsese and the aforementioned Kazuyuki Izutsu, as well as actress Ayako Wakao.
Katsuhito Ishii (石井 克人, Ishii Katsuhito; born 31 December 1966) is a Japanese film director best known for directing…
Katsuhito Ishii (石井 克人, Ishii Katsuhito; born 31 December 1966) is a Japanese film director best known for directing The Taste of Tea (2004), Funky Forest (2005), and Smuggler (2011).
Tsuchiya Yutaka (土屋豊, Tsuchiya Yutaka) (born 11 December 1966) is a Japanese film director, documentary film maker, and…
Tsuchiya Yutaka (土屋豊, Tsuchiya Yutaka) (born 11 December 1966) is a Japanese film director, documentary film maker, and video activist. His works have focused on the search for identity amongst Japanese youth, particularly the allure that nationalism or extreme ideologies have offered to troubled young people.
Atsushi Sakahara (阪原 淳, Sakahara Atsushi; born 27 August 1966 in Kyoto) is a film director, writer, and producer. He…
Atsushi Sakahara (阪原 淳, Sakahara Atsushi; born 27 August 1966 in Kyoto) is a film director, writer, and producer. He now teaches at Kyoto Seika University and graduate program at Osaka City University. He is a former advertising executive at Dentsu inc who survived the 1995 sarin gas attacks in Tokyo, which led to his later film work. He produced the 2001 Short Film Palme d'Or winning Bean Cake, directed by David Greenspan. He directed a short film, Don't Call Me Father. in 2012. One of producers for the film was Paul Milgrom, who won Nobel Prize in Economics in 2020. In 2015 he began to work on what would become Me and the Cult Leader, a film following his pursuit of truth and justice by talking and travelling with current Aleph executive Araki Hiroshi. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in engineering at Utsunomiya University's school of regional development and creativity. He is also known as an inventor of the SA method, which is a unique idea-generation technique and application. He is a member of The Japan P.E.N Club. Olivia Rosenthal, a French novelist interviewed him in 2018 and released a novel based on it in 2022. He co-founded LOGIGLISH Inc.., a language education company, with Kaho Fujikawa, his student at Osaka Metropolitan University. He founded Sarin Gas Attack Victims Association in 2022 for his experience that he was anti-democratically not allowed to join Tokyo Subway Sarin Gas Attack Victims Association represented by a widow without any particular reasons and list Japan National Police Agency in 2023.