Hirokazu Kore-eda (是枝 裕和) is a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He began his career in television and has since directed more than a dozen feature films, including Nobody Knows (2004), Still Walking (2008), and After the Storm (2016). He won the Jury Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival for Like Father, Like Son, and won the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival for Shoplifters.

Early life and education

Kore-eda's father was born in Taiwan before being conscripted into the Japanese military during World War II and detained in Siberia for three years after the end of the war. His paternal grandparents could not marry under Japanese law at the time as they had the same last name, so they eloped to Taiwan where they could, which was then under Japanese colonial rule. He has cited this as a reason for his affinity toward Taiwan. Hirokazu Kore-eda was born on 6 June 1962 in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. He is the youngest of three children, with two older sisters. From a young age, Kore-eda would spend time watching movies with his mother. He said through an interpreter, "My mother loved films! She adored Ingrid Bergman, Joan Fontaine, Vivien Leigh. We couldn't afford to go together to the cinema, but she was always watching their movies on TV. She stopped all family business or discussions to watch these movies. We would watch together. So I adored film – like her." After seeing Japan win the gold medal in men's volleyball at the 1972 Munich Olympics, he started playing in middle school. He rose to team captain in high school as a setter. He initially failed his entrance exams, but was accepted into Waseda University a year later. He graduated from Waseda University's Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences in 1987.

Career

Before embarking on a career as a film director, Kore-eda worked as an assistant director on documentaries for television. He eventually transitioned into directing, and directed his first television documentary, Lessons from a Calf, in 1991. He directed several other documentary films thereafter. One of his Documentaries, released in 1994, followed his friendship with AIDS sufferer Hirata Yutaka. The documentary, titled “August without him”, followed Kore-eda as he met with Yutaka and filmed his life between 1992 and 1994. During this period, he speaks openly on his condition, as well as being the first Japanese to admit he contracted the disease via homosexual contact. The film ends with Yutaka’s condition having deteriorated, and he died of AIDS Complications on May 29th, 1994. In 1995, at the Venice Film Festival, his first fiction feature film Maborosi won a Golden Osella Award for Best Cinematography. At the first Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema in 1999, he won awards for Best Film and Best Screenplay for his film After Life. In 2005, he won the Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Film and Best Director for his film Nobody Knows. His 2008 film, Still Walking, also earned accolades, including Best Director at the 2009 Asian Film Awards, and the Golden Ástor for Best Film at the 2008 Mar del Plata International Film Festival. His 2013 film, Like Father, Like Son, premiered and was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. It eventually did not win, but it won the Jury Prize, as well as a commendation from the Ecumenical Jury. In October 2013, the film won the Rogers People's Choice Award at the 2013 Vancouver International Film Festival. Kore-eda's 2015 film, Our Little Sister, was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, though it did not win. His 2016 film, After the Storm, debuted to critical acclaim at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard category. For his work on the film, he won the award for Best Director at the Yokohama Film Festival. Kore-eda won Best Film and Best Director Japan Academy Prizes for his film The Third Murder (2017), which also screened in the main competition of the 74th Venice International Film Festival. In 2018, his film, titled Shoplifters, about a young girl who is welcomed in by a family of shoplifters, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d'Or. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2018, he won the Donostia Award for his lifetime achievement at San Sebastián International Film Festival. In 2019, Kore-eda directed The Truth, starring Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche and Ethan Hawke. It is his first film shot in Europe and not in his native language. In 2021, Kore-eda directed Broker. The film was shot in South Korea, featuring a predominantly South Korean cast and crew. It was first released on 8 June 2022. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022 and won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. In January 2022, it was announced that Kore-eda would be working with a team of directors including Megumi Tsuno, Hiroshi Okuyama, and Takuma Sato on a nine-episode series called The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House, adapted from the manga Kiyo in Kyoto. In November 2022, Kore-eda disclosed that he had already completed shooting his next Japanese film, titled Monster. With post-production underway, Monster was scheduled for release in Japan on 2 June 2023. This release date positioned the film for a potential world premiere in May at the Cannes Film Festival, a customary platform for Kore-eda. The film won the Queer Palm and the Best Screenplay Award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

Style and influences

According to the Harvard Film Archive, Kore-eda's works "reflect the contemplative style and pacing of such luminaries as Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang". Kore-eda is often compared to Yasujirō Ozu; however, he has stated he feels more influenced by British director Ken Loach and Japanese director Mikio Naruse. In a 2009 interview, Kore-eda revealed that Still Walking is based on his own family.

Personal life

Kore-eda was married in 2002 and has one daughter, born in 2007.

Filmography

Film

Producer

Documentaries

Television

Accolades

Frequent collaborators