Ryusuke Hamaguchi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Hamaguchi in 2018.
Born	(1978-12-16) 16 December 1978 (age 46) Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
Alma mater	University of Tokyo Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (M.A.)
Occupation	Film director screenwriter
Years active	2001–present
Japanese name
Romanization	Hamaguchi Ryūsuke
Signature

Ryusuke Hamaguchi (濱口 竜介, Hamaguchi Ryūsuke, [hamaꜜɡɯtɕi ɾʲɯꜜːsɯ̥ke]; born 16 December 1978) is a famous Japanese film director and screenwriter. He creates movies and writes their stories. He studied at the University of Tokyo and the Tokyo University of the Arts. He first became known in Japan for his film Passion in 2008.

Hamaguchi gained international fame with his movie Happy Hour in 2015. He continued to impress with Asako I & II in 2018. In 2021, he released two popular films: Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy and Drive My Car. For Drive My Car, he was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film also won the award for Best International Feature Film. He is one of only three Japanese directors to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Director. In 2023, he released Evil Does Not Exist and Gift.

Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Career

After finishing his studies at the University of Tokyo, Ryusuke Hamaguchi worked in the film business for a few years. Then, he joined the film program at Tokyo University of the Arts. There, he learned from and was inspired by director Kiyoshi Kurosawa. His graduation film, Passion, was chosen for a competition at the 2008 Tokyo Filmex.

Documentaries and Early Success

With Kō Sakai, Hamaguchi made a series of three documentaries. These films were about people who survived the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. One of these, Voices from the Waves, was shown at the 2013 Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival. Another, Storytellers, won a special prize.

His next big film was Happy Hour. He started developing this movie in 2013 while working at a creative center in Kobe. The film came from an acting workshop he held for people who were not professional actors. Many of the actors in the movie had taken part in this workshop. The four main actresses in Happy Hour won a shared award for best actress. The film also received a special mention for its script at the 2015 Locarno Film Festival. Hamaguchi himself won a special jury award and a best newcomer award for his work.

International Recognition

His film Asako I & II was chosen to compete for the top prize, the Palme d'Or, at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. This is a very important film festival.

In 2021, Hamaguchi won the Silver Bear award at the Berlinale for his movie Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy. In the same year, his film Drive My Car won many awards. These included Best Picture from the New York Film Critics Circle, Boston Society of Film Critics, and Los Angeles Film Critics Association. It also won "Best Motion Picture - Non-English Language" at the Golden Globes. Hamaguchi was nominated for an Oscar for Best Director for Drive My Car. This made him only the third Japanese director ever to achieve this.

In 2023, his film Evil Does Not Exist won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. Also in 2023, he released another film called Gift. This movie uses the same video footage as Evil Does Not Exist but tells a different story. It is shown with live music played during the film.

Hamaguchi's Film Style

Ryusuke Hamaguchi describes himself as a "cinephile", which means he loves movies very much. He says he is "conventionally in love with Hollywood films." He has been inspired by the movies of John Cassavetes.

In April 2024, he shared a list of his 50 favorite films for a website called LaCinetek. His choices include many different types of movies from various time periods. These films were made by famous directors like Robert Bresson, Clint Eastwood, Howard Hawks, Edward Yang, Kenji Mizoguchi, and Robert Zemeckis.

Filmography

Awards and Recognition

See also

In Spanish: Ryūsuke Hamaguchi para niños