Junji Sakamoto (阪本 é †æ²», Sakamoto Junji, born October 1, 1958 in
Sakai, Osaka) is a Japanese film director.After working as a set
assistant or assistant director under such filmmakers as Sogo Ishii
and Kazuyuki Izutsu, he made his directorial debut in 1989 with
Dotsuitarunen (earning the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors
Award) and followed it up with another boxing film, Tekken, 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 and Awakening. He won the award for Best
Director at the 24th Japan Academy Prize and at the 22nd Yokohama Film
Festival for Face. He won the Special Jury prize for My House at the
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival in
2003.Chameleon, an action film starring Tatsuya Fujiwara and Asami
Mizukawa, screened at the Busan International Film Festival in 2008.
Children of the Dark, a thriller film shot in Thailand, was denied to
screen at the Bangkok International Film Festival in 2008. Zatoichi:
The Last, a jidaigeki film starring Shingo Katori, and Strangers in
the City, a thriller film starring Toru Nakamura and Manami Konishi,
were both released in 2010. Someday, an ensemble comedy film starring
Yoshio Harada, won the Best Picture prize at the Yokohama Film
Festival in 2011. He also directed A Chorus of Angels, a 2012 film
starring Sayuri Yoshinaga, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Toei
Company. His 2013 film, Human Trust, starred KÅ ichi SatÅ , Yoo
Ji-tae, and Vincent Gallo.A number of Sakamoto's works, such as ÅŒte
and Biriken, are set in Osaka, particularly the Shinsekai 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).
Sakai, Osaka) is a Japanese film director.After working as a set
assistant or assistant director under such filmmakers as Sogo Ishii
and Kazuyuki Izutsu, he made his directorial debut in 1989 with
Dotsuitarunen (earning the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors
Award) and followed it up with another boxing film, Tekken, 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 and Awakening. He won the award for Best
Director at the 24th Japan Academy Prize and at the 22nd Yokohama Film
Festival for Face. He won the Special Jury prize for My House at the
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival in
2003.Chameleon, an action film starring Tatsuya Fujiwara and Asami
Mizukawa, screened at the Busan International Film Festival in 2008.
Children of the Dark, a thriller film shot in Thailand, was denied to
screen at the Bangkok International Film Festival in 2008. Zatoichi:
The Last, a jidaigeki film starring Shingo Katori, and Strangers in
the City, a thriller film starring Toru Nakamura and Manami Konishi,
were both released in 2010. Someday, an ensemble comedy film starring
Yoshio Harada, won the Best Picture prize at the Yokohama Film
Festival in 2011. He also directed A Chorus of Angels, a 2012 film
starring Sayuri Yoshinaga, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Toei
Company. His 2013 film, Human Trust, starred KÅ ichi SatÅ , Yoo
Ji-tae, and Vincent Gallo.A number of Sakamoto's works, such as ÅŒte
and Biriken, are set in Osaka, particularly the Shinsekai 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).
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