Sakamoto Junji
Award-winning filmmaker SAKAMOTO Junji (1958, Japan) worked as a set assistant and assistant director, learning the craft with directors including Ishii Sogo, Kazayuki Izutsu and Tou Kawashima, before making his debut in 1989 with Knockout. It picked up more than 10 awards, including Best Film and Best New Director at Yokohama Film Festival. Since then, he has continued to surprise and delight audiences with films including Tekken and Oute, that have also earned him critical acclaim. His films do not usually focus on their heroes, but on the losers and the outsiders.
Filmography
(selection) Knock Out! (1989), Tekken (1990), Ōte (1991), Tokarefu (1994), Boxer Joe (1995), Biriken (1996), Kizudarake no Tenshi (1997), Kizudarake no Tenshi 2 (1998), Face (2000), Another Battle (2000), KT (2002), Aegis (2005), Children of the Dark (2008), Zatoichi: The Last (2010), Someday (2011), A Chorus of Angels (2012), Human Trust (2013), The Projects (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)
More info: Wikipedia, Sakamoto Junji
Sakamoto Junji at IFFR
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Okiku and the World
Romance, resilience and waste management in Edo-era Japan. A jidaigeki that sparkles with wit and joy.
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Face
This film, that attracted large audiences after the Japanese première, takes a penetrating look at a woman who flees after committing murder and depic
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Another Battle
Contemporary and credible sequel to a famous, ultimate Yakuza hit from the seventies. Sakamoto’s gangsters are not honourable, husky heroes, but cowar