Hirokazu Kore-eda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hirokazu Kore-eda
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| 是枝 裕和 | |||||
Kore-eda at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival
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| Born | 6 June 1962 |
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| Alma mater | Waseda University | ||||
| Occupation | Film director, film producer, screenwriter, film editor | ||||
| Years active | 1991–present | ||||
| Children | 1 | ||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Hiragana | これえだ ひろかず | ||||
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Hirokazu Kore-eda (born June 6, 1962) is a famous Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He is known for making movies that explore family life and everyday struggles. He started his career making TV documentaries.
Kore-eda has directed many popular films. Some of his well-known works include Nobody Knows (2004) and Still Walking (2008). He has won major awards at the Cannes Film Festival. He received the Jury Prize for Like Father, Like Son in 2013. In 2018, he won the top award, the Palme d'Or, for his film Shoplifters.
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Early Life and Education
Hirokazu Kore-eda was born in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan, on June 6, 1962. He is the youngest of three children. He has two older sisters.
From a young age, Kore-eda loved watching movies with his mother. She enjoyed films starring actresses like Ingrid Bergman and Vivien Leigh. He shared that they would watch movies together on TV. This helped him fall in love with films too.
When he was in middle school, Kore-eda started playing volleyball. He became the team captain in high school. He played as a setter.
He later went to Waseda University. He graduated from their Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences in 1987.
Career Highlights
Before making movies, Kore-eda worked on documentaries for television. His first TV documentary, Lessons from a Calf, came out in 1991. He directed several other documentaries after that.
In 1995, his first fiction film, Maborosi, won an award at the Venice Film Festival. His film After Life won awards for Best Film and Best Screenplay in 1999.
Kore-eda continued to gain recognition. In 2005, he won Best Film and Best Director for Nobody Knows. His 2008 film, Still Walking, also won several awards. These included Best Director at the 2009 Asian Film Awards.
His 2013 film, Like Father, Like Son, was shown at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. It won the Jury Prize. The film also won the Rogers People's Choice Award at the 2013 Vancouver International Film Festival.
In 2015, his film Our Little Sister was also shown at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. His 2016 film, After the Storm, was praised by critics. He won Best Director for this film at the Yokohama Film Festival.
In 2018, Kore-eda's film Shoplifters won the top prize, the Palme d'Or, at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. This film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In the same year, he received the Donostia Award for his amazing work in filmmaking.
Kore-eda directed The Truth in 2019. This was his first film made outside Japan and not in Japanese. In 2021, he directed Broker, which was filmed in South Korea. It won an award at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
In 2022, it was announced that Kore-eda would work on a TV series called The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House. In 2023, his Japanese film Monster was released. It won the Best Screenplay Award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. In 2025, his series Asura was released by Netflix.
Filmmaking Style
Kore-eda's films often have a thoughtful and calm style. He is sometimes compared to famous Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu. However, Kore-eda has said he is more influenced by British director Ken Loach and Japanese director Mikio Naruse.
Kore-eda often draws inspiration from his own life. For example, his 2008 film Still Walking is based on his own family experiences.
Personal Life
Kore-eda got married in 2002. He has one daughter, who was born in 2007.
Filmography
Films Directed
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Maborosi | |
| 1998 | After Life | |
| 2001 | Distance | |
| 2004 | Nobody Knows | Also producer |
| 2006 | Hana | |
| 2008 | Still Walking | |
| 2009 | Air Doll | Also producer |
| 2011 | I Wish | |
| 2013 | Like Father, Like Son | |
| 2015 | Our Little Sister | |
| 2016 | After the Storm | |
| 2017 | The Third Murder | |
| 2018 | Shoplifters | Also Producer |
| 2019 | The Truth | French film |
| 2022 | Broker | South Korean film |
| 2023 | Monster | Also executive producer |
Documentaries Directed
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Lessons from a Calf | |
| 1994 | August without Him | |
| 2003 | Birthplace | About the old sets from his first feature Maborosi |
| 2012 | The Message from Fukushima | Short film |
Television Work
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Without Memory | TV Documentary Movie |
| 2012 | Going My Home | TV Miniseries |
| 2023 | The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House | TV Miniseries; also executive producer |
| 2025 | Asura | TV Series |
Awards and Recognition
Hirokazu Kore-eda has won many important awards for his films:
- 1995: Vancouver International Film Festival – Dragons and Tigers Award (Maborosi)
- 1998: San Sebastian Film Festival – FIPRESCI Prize (After Life)
- 2005: Blue Ribbon Awards – Best Film and Best Director (Nobody Knows)
- 2009: Asian Film Awards – Best Director (Still Walking)
- 2013: Cannes Film Festival – Jury Prize (Like Father, Like Son)
- 2018: Cannes Film Festival – Palme d'Or (Shoplifters)
- 2018: San Sebastián International Film Festival – Donostia Award (for lifetime achievement)
- 2019: Asian Film Awards – Best Film (Shoplifters)
- 2019: César Award – Best Foreign Film (Shoplifters)
- 2023: Asian Film Awards – Best Director (Broker)
- 2024: Asian Film Awards – Best Director (Monster)
Images for kids
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Kore-eda at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival
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Hirokazu Kore-eda at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival
