is a Japanese

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

Career

After working as a set assistant or assistant director under such filmmakers as Sogo Ishii and

Kazuyuki Izutsu is a Japanese film director, screenwriter and film critic. Career Born in Nara Prefecture, Izutsu started making 8mm films in high school, and directed his first 35mm movie film, 35mm film, a pink film, in 1975. He earned a citation from the Di ...

, he made his directorial debut in 1989 with '' Dotsuitarunen'' (earning the

Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award The is given annually by the Directors Guild of Japan to a new director of a film released that year who is considered the most "suitable" for the award. The winner is selected by a committee formed of DGJ members. All formats—feature film, docum ...

) and followed it up with another boxing film, ''

Tekken is a Japanese Media mix, media franchise centered on a series of fighting game, fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations. The ...

'', in 1990. Sakamoto became known for action films focusing on the conflicts between male characters, such as '' Tokarefu'' and '' New Battles Without Honor and Humanity'', but has also made films centered on female characters such as ''

Face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

'' and ''Awakening''. He won the award for Best Director at the 24th Japan Academy Prize and at the 22nd

Yokohama Film Festival The is an annual awards ceremony held in Yokohama, Japan. Ten films are chosen as the best of the year and various awards are given to personnel. The first festival, held on February 3, 1980, was a small affair by fans and film critics. In 1994, ...

for ''Face''. He won the Special Jury prize for '' My House'' at the

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival The Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de Cine de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) is an international film festival that is held in Las Palmas in the island of Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also ...

in 2003. ''

Chameleon Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...

'', an action film starring

Tatsuya Fujiwara is a Japanese actor. Internationally, he is best known for his leading roles as Shuya Nanahara in the '' Battle Royale'' films, Light Yagami in the ''Death Note'' films, Kaiji Itō in the '' Kaiji'' films, and Rikuhiko Yuki in Hideo Nakata's '' ...

and

Asami Mizukawa is a Japanese actress. She grew up in Ibaraki, Osaka. She made her debut in 1996 at age 13 in an advertisement for Asahi Kasei's "Hebel Haus". In 2000, she won the ''Grand Prix'' at the “3rd Miss Tokyo Walker” competition (the first winner ...

, screened at the

Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festi ...

in 2008. '' Children of the Dark'', a thriller film shot in Thailand, was denied to screen at the

Bangkok International Film Festival The Bangkok International Film Festival (BKKIFF) ( th, เทศกาลภาพยนตร์นานาชาติกรุงเทพฯ) is an international film festival held annually in Bangkok, Thailand, since 2003. In addition to fi ...

in 2008. '' Zatoichi: The Last'', a jidaigeki film starring

Shingo Katori is a Japanese actor, singer, television host, radio personality. He was the youngest member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy band in Asia. After the group's disbandment on 31 December 2016, Katori has been pursuing his solo career. He left ...

, and '' Strangers in the City'', a thriller film starring Toru Nakamura and

Manami Konishi , also known as KONI-TAN, is a Japanese actress, singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Career Konishi appeared in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 2006 film '' Retribution'', which was screened at the 63rd Venice Film Festival. She also appeared i ...

, were both released in 2010. '' Someday'', an ensemble comedy film starring

Yoshio Harada was a Japanese actor best known for playing rebels in a career that spanned six decades. Career Born in Tokyo, Harada joined the Haiyuza Theatre Company in 1966 and made his television debut in 1967 with "Tenka no seinen" and his film debut in ...

, won the Best Picture prize at the

in 2011. He also directed ''A Chorus of Angels'', a 2012 film starring

Sayuri Yoshinaga is a Japanese actress and activist. She has won four Japan Academy Best Actress awards, more than any other actress, and has been called "one of the foremost stars in the postwar world of film." Career Her first media appearance was in the radi ...

, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of

Toei Company () (also styled TOEI) is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution and video game developer and publishing company. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan (all but two of them operated by i ...

. His 2013 film, ''

Human Trust Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

'', starred Kōichi Satō,

Yoo Ji-tae Yoo Ji-tae (born April 13, 1976) is a South Korean actor, film director and screenwriter. After a stint as a fashion model, Yoo launched his acting career in 1998 then rose to fame through the films '' Attack the Gas Station'' (1999) and '' Ditt ...

, and

Vincent Gallo Vincent Gallo (born 1961) is an American actor and director. He has had supporting roles in films such as ''Arizona Dream'' (1993), ''The House of the Spirits'' (1993), ''Palookaville'' (1995), and '' The Funeral'' (1996). His lead roles include ...

Style and influences

A number of Sakamoto's works, such as '' Ōte'' and ''Biriken'', are set in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, particularly the

Shinsekai is an old neighbourhood located next to south Osaka City's downtown "Minami" area. The neighbourhood was created in 1912 with New York (specifically, Coney Island) as a model for its southern half and Paris for its northern half. At this locatio ...

sector. His films have also taken up such controversial topics as postwar Japanese history and the problem of national sovereignty (''Out of This World'' or ''Aegis''), or the trafficking of children in Asia (''Children of the Dark'').

Filmography

* '' Dotsuitarunen'' (1989) * ''

'' (1990) * '' Ōte'' (1991) * '' Tokarefu'' (1994) * ''Boxer Joe'' (1995) * ''Biriken'' (1996) * ''Scarred Angels'' (1997) * ''The Goofball'' (1998) * ''

'' (2000) * '' New Battles Without Honor and Humanity'' (2000) * '' KT'' (2002) * '' My House'' (2003) * ''Out of This World'' (2004) * ''Aegis'' (2005) * ''Awakening'' (2007) * ''

'' (2008) * '' Children of the Dark'' (2008) * '' Zatoichi: The Last'' (2010) * '' Strangers in the City'' (2010) * '' Someday'' (2011) * ''A Chorus of Angels'' (2012) * ''

'' (2013) * ''Joe, Tomorrow'' (2015) * ''Danchi'' (2016) * ''Ernesto'' (2017) * ''Another World'' (2019) * ''I Never Shot Anyone'' (2020) * ''My Brother, The Android and Me'' (2022) * ''Fuyusōbi'' (2022) * ''Okiku and the World'' (2023)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sakamoto, Junji Japan Academy Prize for Director of the Year winners Japanese film directors 1958 births Living people People from Sakai, Osaka