is a Japanese film producer who is the founder, president, and chief executive officer of the Japanese production company, Cine Bazar.

Life and career

Born in 1959 in Nitta,

Genkai, Saga is a town located in Higashimatsuura District, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It has an area of 36.00 km² and as of February 28, 2017 has a population of 5,855. It is currently the only municipality in Higashimatsuura District. There was a town wi ...

, Japan. After graduating from

Meiji University , abbreviated as Meiji (明治) or Meidai (明大'')'', is a private research university located in Chiyoda City, the heart of Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1881 as Meiji Law School (明治法律学校, ''Meiji Hōritsu Gakkō'') by three Meiji-er ...

, Wadakura became a film producer and founded the production company Cine Bazar in 1994, which he currently serves as president and CEO. Wadakura has produced several live-action films in his career, including: ''Hiroshima'', ''Swallowtail Butterfly'', ''Cat's Eye'', '' Love/Juice'', ''

Party 7 ''Party 7'' is a 2000 Japanese surreal comedy film directed by Katsuhito Ishii, distributed by Tohokushinsha Film Corporation. Plot Cast * Masatoshi Nagase as Miki * Keisuke Horibe as Sonoda * Akemi Kobayashi as Kana * Yoshinori Okada a ...

'', ''

Calmi Cuori Appassionati ''Calmi Cuori Appassionati'' ( aka ''Reisei to Jōnetsu no Aida''; lit. "Between Calmness and Passion") is a 2001 Japanese movie directed by Isamu Nakae, starring Yutaka Takenouchi and Kelly Chen. It is a love story about two students who met at ...

'', ''

The Taste of Tea is the third film by Japanese writer and director Katsuhito Ishii. It has been referred to as a " surreal" version of Ingmar Bergman's '' Fanny and Alexander'' (1982). It was a selection of the Cannes Film Festival. Synopsis The film follows the ...

'', '' Saiyūki'', ''

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...

'' (2007), ''The Magic Hour'', ''

Suspect X is a 2008 Japanese mystery-thriller film based on the novel, ''The Devotion of Suspect X'', directed by Hiroshi Nishitani. The film was a continuation of the popular Japanese serial drama ''Galileo'' and included the same cast. It topped Japan's ...

'', '' Amalfi: Rewards of the Goddess'', ''Sideways'', '' Andalucia: Revenge of the Goddess'', ''

A Ghost of a Chance , also known as ''Once In a Blue Moon'' in Japan, is a 2011 Japanese comedy mystery film directed by Kōki Mitani. Plot Emi Hosho, a third-rate lawyer without much of a future, is tasked with defending Goro Yabe, a man arrested for the murder of ...

'', ''

The Kiyosu Conference is a 2013 Japanese period comedy film directed by Kōki Mitani. Cast * Kōji Yakusho as Shibata Katsuie * Yo Oizumi as Hashiba Hideyoshi * Fumiyo Kohinata as Niwa Nagahide * Kōichi Satō as Ikeda Tsuneoki * Satoshi Tsumabuki as Oda Nobukatsu * ...

'', ''

'' (2015), ''Persona Non Grata'', ''

Shin Godzilla is a 2016 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, with a screenplay by Anno and visual effects by Higuchi. Produced by Toho Pictures and Cine Bazar and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the 31st film in the '' ...

'', ''Bleach'', ''

Masquerade Hotel is a 2019 Japanese crime film directed by Masayuki Suzuki. A sequel, ''Masquerade Night is a Japanese author chiefly known for his mystery novels. He served as the 13th President of Mystery Writers of Japan from 2009 to 2013. Higashino has wo ...

'', ''

Hit Me Anyone One More Time is a 2019 Japanese political and comedy film directed by Kōki Mitani. It stars Kiichi Nakai. Mitani wrote a script for a similar political drama series '' Sōrito Yobanaide'' aired on Fuji TV in 1997. Plot The main character of the film is the ...

'', ''

Shin Ultraman is a 2022 Japanese superhero ''kaiju'' film directed by Shinji Higuchi and written, co-produced, and co-edited by Hideaki Anno. A reimagining of ''Ultraman'', the film is a co-production between Toho Studios and Cine Bazar, and presented by ...

'', and the upcoming film, ''Shin Kamen Rider''. Along with various other film producers, he served as executive producer for the 2019 film ''

Diner A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a com ...

'', as well as for several other films including ''

Key of Life is a 2012 Japanese comedy film directed by Kenji Uchida. The film opened in Japan on September 15, 2012. The movie's theme song was written and performed by Kazuya Yoshii. The movie was remade in Korean in 2016 as ''Luck Key''. Plot synopsis The ...

'', ''Persona Non Grata'', and ''A Gambler's Odyssey 2020''. Wadakura also made a cameo as an elderly fisherman in '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'', for which he served as the line producer for the

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

production crew.

Filmography

Producer

* ''The Stairway to the Distant Past'' (1995) * ''Hiroshima'' (1995) * ''Swallowtail Butterfly'' (1996) * ''The Breath'' (1996) * ''Cat's Eye'' (1997) * ''Mabui'' (1999) * '' Love/Juice'' (2000) * ''

'' (2000) * ''

'' (2001) * ''Current Lover'' (2002) * ''

'' (2004) * '' Nin x Nin: Ninja Hattori-kun, the Movie'' (2004) * ''Shining Boy & Little Randy'' (2005) * ''Check It Out, Yo!'' (2006) * ''Back to the Bubble Era! Time Machine Drum Style'' (2007) * ''Argentine Baba'' (2007) * '' Saiyūki'' (2007) ith Yoshihiro Suzuki and Yasushi Ogawaref name=":0" /> * ''

'' (2007) * ''My Darling of the Mountains'' (2008) * ''The Magic Hour'' (2008) * ''

'' (2008) * ''I Want to Be a Shellfish'' (2008) * '' Amalfi: Rewards of the Goddess'' (2009) * ''Sideways'' (2009) * ''Nodame Cantabile: The Movie I'' (2009) * ''Nodame Cantabile: The Movie II'' (2010) * '' Andalucia: Revenge of the Goddess'' (2011) * ''

'' (2011) * ''LOVE: Masao-kun ga Iku!'' (2012) * ''Orpheus' Lyre'' (2013) * ''Maruyama, the Middle Schooler'' (2013) ith Makiko Nagasaka and Makoto Okada* ''Ataru: the First Love & the Last Kill'' (2013) * ''The Apology King'' (2013) * ''

'' (2013) * ''Hero'' (2015) * ''Galaxy Kaido'' (2015) * ''Persona Non Grata'' (2015) * ''

'' (2016) * ''The Anthem of the Heart'' (2017) * ''Bleach'' (2018) * ''

'' (2019) * ''

'' (2019) * ''Way to Find the Best Life'' (2019) * ''Caution, Hazardous Wife: The Movie'' (2021) * ''Masquerade Night'' (2021) * ''Radiation House: The Movie'' (2022) * ''

'' (2022) * ''Shin Kamen Rider'' (2023)

Executive producer/production

* ''

'' (2012) * ''

Pieta in the Toilet is a 2015 Japanese youth drama film directed by Daishi Matsunaga. It was released in Japan on June 6, 2015. Cast * Yojiro Noda as Hiro Sonoda * Hana Sugisaki is a Japanese actress who was previously signed to Stardust Promotion. Her former st ...

'' (2015) * ''Persona Non Grata'' (2015) * ''A Gambler's Odyssey 2020'' (2019) * ''Diner'' (2019)

Co-producer

* ''Millennium Traveler'' (1999) * ''Koi ni utaeba'' (2002)

Assistant producer

* ''

Fuyajo ''Fuyajo'' (), also known as ''Sleepless Town'', is a Hong Kong film, Hong Kong-Japanese film, Japanese film co-production released in 1998 based on a novel by Hase Seishū. It was directed by with cinematography by Arthur Wong, who won two awar ...

'' (1998)

Line producer

* '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' (2006)

Actor

* ''Stereo Future SF episode 2002'' (2001) as film producer * ''The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' (2006) as elderly fisherman

Notes

References

External links

* * * *
Interview with Wadakura
at

Nikkatsu is a Japanese entertainment company known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio, founded in 1912 during the silent film era. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wadakura, Kazutoshi Japanese film producers 1959 births Living people People from Saga Prefecture Japanese chief executives Japanese company founders