Director

KORE-EDA Hirokazu

PROFILE

Born 1962 in Tokyo, Japan. After graduating from Waseda University in 1987, Kore-eda joined TV
Man Union where he directed several prize-winning documentary programs. In 2011, he launched his
production company BUN-BUKU.
In 1995, his directorial debut, Maborosi, based on the original novel written by Miyamoto Teru, won
the 52nd Venice International Film Festival's Golden Osella. After Life (1998), distributed in over 30
countries, brought Kore-eda international acclaim. In 2001, Distance was selected in Competition at
the Cannes Film Festival, and with his fourth work Nobody Knows (2004), Yagira Yuya garnered much
attention for becoming the youngest person to ever receive the Cannes Film Festival's Best Actor
Award. In 2006, Hana, a film centered on vengeance, became his first attempt at a period piece. In
2008, he presented the family drama Still Walking, which reflected his own personal experiences, and
received high praise from around the world. In 2009, Air Doll was world premiered in Un Certain
Regard at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival and was widely praised for marking a new frontier in its
depiction of a sensual love fantasy. In 2011, I Wish won the Best Screenplay Award at the 59th San
Sebastian International Film Festival. In 2012, he made his TV directorial debut with the series Going
Home.
His feature film Like Father, Like Son (2013), won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, received
the audience awards at San Sebastian, Vancouver, and Sao Paulo International Film Festivals and
broke the box office record of his past films in many territories. In 2015, Our Little Sister premiered
in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and received five awards including Best Film and Best
Director at the Japan Academy Prize, as well as the Jury Prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival. In
2016, After the Storm premiered in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2017, The Third
Murder premiered In Competition at the 52nd Venice International Film Festival. In 2018, Shoplifters
won the Palme d'Or at the 71st Cannes Film Festival, the Best Foreign Film at the 11th Césars, and
many other awards, as well as being nominated for the 91st Academy Award for Best Foreign
Language Film.
In 2019, his first feature outside Japan, The Truth, starring French film legends Catherine Deneuve
and Juliette Binoche, opened in Competition at the 76th Venice International Film Festival. In 2022,
his Korean debut Broker won the Ecumenical Jury Prize, while Song Kang-Ho received the Best Actor
Award at the 75th Cannes Film Festival. In 2023, his first Netflix series The Makanai: Cooking for the
Maiko House was released worldwide, and his latest feature Monster won the Queer Palme and
garnered Yuji Sakamoto the Best Screenplay Award at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. Most recently,
in 2025, he adapted and directed the Netflix series Asura, a remake of Kuniko Mukoda's iconic home
drama, which earned him the Best Director Award at the 20th Seoul International Drama Awards.

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