Kiyoshi Kurosawa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Kurosawa at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	(1955-07-19) July 19, 1955 (age 69) Kobe, Japan
Alma mater	Rikkyo University
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter, film critic, actor
Years active	1973–present

Kiyoshi Kurosawa (黒沢 清, Kurosawa Kiyoshi, born July 19, 1955) is a famous Japanese film director, screenwriter, and professor at Tokyo University of the Arts. He is known for making movies that explore people's minds and feelings. Many of his films are psychological thrillers or horror movies, like his well-known film Cure from 1997.

Even though most of his films are in Japanese, he has also directed two movies in French: Daguerrotype (2016) and Serpent's Path (2024).

About Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Kiyoshi Kurosawa was born in Kobe, Japan, on July 19, 1955. He started making films when he was still in high school. Later, he studied at Rikkyo University in Tokyo. There, he learned a lot from a famous film critic named Shigehiko Hasumi. Kurosawa began directing films professionally in the 1980s.

In 1981, his 8mm film Shigarami Gakuen was nominated for an award at the Pia Film Festival. In the early 1990s, Kurosawa won a special scholarship to the Sundance Institute in the United States. This allowed him to study filmmaking there.

His Early Success

Kurosawa became famous around the world with his crime thriller Cure in 1997. A year later, he made two thrillers, Serpent's Path and Eyes of the Spider. These films had the same main idea and lead actor, but told very different stories.

In 1999, the Hong Kong International Film Festival showed a special collection of five of his films. These included The Excitement of the Do-re-mi fa Girls, The Guard from Underground, Serpent's Path, Eyes of the Spider, and License to Live.

Later Films and Different Genres

After Cure, Kurosawa made Charisma in 1999, which was a detective film. In 2000, his film Seance was shown on TV. In 2001, he directed the horror film Pulse.

He then released Bright Future in 2003, followed by Doppelganger later that same year. Both of these films were nominated at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2005, Kurosawa made Loft, which was his first love story since Seance. Another horror film, Retribution, came out the next year. In 2008, Kurosawa directed Tokyo Sonata. This film was different because it was a family drama, moving away from his usual horror style.

Kurosawa has also written a book based on his film Pulse. He also wrote a history of horror movies with Makoto Shinozaki.

Recent Projects and Awards

In 2012, Kurosawa directed a five-part TV drama called Penance. His next feature film, Real, was released in 2013. Later that year, he won the Best Director award at the 8th Rome Film Festival for his film Seventh Code.

His 2015 film Journey to the Shore won him the Best Director prize at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. In 2016, his thriller Creepy was shown at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. This film was his first return to the horror genre since 2006.

His 2017 film Before We Vanish was also shown at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2019, his film To the Ends of the Earth was the closing film at the 72nd Locarno Film Festival.

In 2020, Kurosawa won the Silver Lion for Best Direction at the 77th Venice International Film Festival for his film Wife of a Spy.

Kurosawa's Style and Influences

Yasujiro Ozu

Kurosawa's way of directing has been compared to famous filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick and Andrei Tarkovsky. However, he has said that Alfred Hitchcock and Yasujirō Ozu helped shape his own ideas about filmmaking. He also admires American directors such as Don Siegel and Sam Peckinpah.

In an interview, Kurosawa explained why he often casts the actor Kōji Yakusho in his films. He said, "He has similar values and sensitivities. We’re from the same generation. That’s a big reason why I enjoy working with him on the set."

Kurosawa's films often mix popular movie styles with deeper, more thoughtful ideas. He also likes to film in interesting places like old, abandoned buildings or decaying open spaces.

Kurosawa believes in being versatile, meaning he likes to try many different things. He doesn't want to stick to just one style or theme in his movies. When asked what he wants to try next, he answered, "The next thing I want to do is something I have never done."

He has watched many films since he was young. He knows there are many great movies around the world. These films inspire him to be a better filmmaker. He always asks himself how to make movies that people will remember for a long time.

Kurosawa also credits film critic Hasumi Shigehiko as a mentor. He met Hasumi in university and says Hasumi taught him that filmmaking is worth dedicating his entire life to. Both Kurosawa and Hasumi believe that every part of a film is important and should be carefully planned. Kurosawa wants to share Hasumi's teachings through his own films.

Selected Films and TV Shows

Feature Films

• Kandagawa ... Wars (1983)
• The Excitement of the Do-Re-Mi-Fa Girl (1985)
• Sweet Home (1989)
• The Guard from Underground (1992)
• Cure (1997)
• License to Live (1998)
• Charisma (1999)
• Barren Illusion (1999)
• Pulse (2001)
• Bright Future (2003)
• Doppelganger (2003)
• Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater: House of Bugs (2005)
• Loft (2005)
• Retribution (2006)
• Tokyo Sonata (2008)
• Real (2013)
• Seventh Code (2013)
• 1905 (cancelled)
• Journey to the Shore (2015)
• Creepy (2016)
• Daguerrotype (2016)
• Before We Vanish (2017)
• Foreboding (2017)
• To the Ends of the Earth (2019)
• Wife of a Spy: Theatrical Edition (2020)
• Chime (2024)
• Serpent's Path (2024)
• Cloud (2024)

Short Films

• Vertigo College (1980)
• Ghost Cop (2003)
• Beautiful New Bay Area Project (2013)

V-Cinema (Direct-to-Video)

• Yakuza Taxi (1994)
• Men of Rage (1994)
• Door 3 (1996)
• The Revenge: A Visit from Fate (1997)
• The Revenge: A Scar That Never Fades (1997)
• Eyes of the Spider (1998)
• Serpent's Path (1998)

Television Work

• Wordholic Prisoner (1990)
• Whirlpool of Joy (1992)
• Seance (2000)
• Matasaburo, the Wind Imp (2003)
• Penance (2012)
• Foreboding (2017)
• Wife of a Spy (2020)
• Modern Love Tokyo (2022, episode 5)

Acting Roles

• The Funeral (1984) – Assistant director
• The Legend of the Stardust Brothers (1985) – Customer
• The Enchantment (1989) – Librarian
• Stranger at Night (1991) – Taxi rider
• Reincarnation (2005) – College professor
• Occult (2009) – Himself

Music Videos

• Marquees – Tongati Musume (1991)
• Sōtaisei Riron – Flashback (2016)
• Nogizaka46 – Actually... (2022)

Awards and Honors

Awards

Honors

See also

In Spanish: Kiyoshi Kurosawa para niños