Tomoko Matsunashi facts for kids

Tomoko Matsunashi (松梨 智子, Matsunashi Tomoko) is a Japanese film director and actress. She is known for bringing new ideas and talent to modern Japanese movies.

About Tomoko Matsunashi

Tomoko Matsunashi was born in Hiroshima, Japan, on April 14, 1971. From a young age, she loved theatre and dreamed of becoming an actor. She went to Waseda University to study business. While there, she joined an independent theatre group.

Starting in Film

Her interest in movies grew during college. After graduating, she acted in a film made by a friend from her theatre group. This movie won an award at the Pia Film Festival. When her friend left the group, Tomoko decided to make her own films. She had no special training in filmmaking.

Her first film was a short movie in 1995 called To Be or Not to Be. She wrote, directed, and acted in it. This film won an Encouragement Prize at the 1996 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival. This award is given to promising new filmmakers.

Acting Roles

Tomoko Matsunashi also acted in other movies. She appeared in Tokiwa: The Manga Apartment in 1996. She was also in Kurushime-san, an early movie by director Noboru Iguchi. That film won an Encouragement Prize at the 1998 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival. In 1998, she co-starred in Encyclopedia of a Drifter. This was a documentary about a bike trip. She also appeared in Shiro - The White from 1999.

Directing More Films

Her film SABU, Goodbye to their Youth came out in 2000. It mixed science fiction with a funny look at young men. This movie was shown in theaters in Osaka and Tokyo. It also played at the TromaDance Film Festival in 2002.

Tomoko Matsunashi gained international attention with her 2005 film The Way of the Director. This movie was shown at the Fantasia Festival in Montreal in 2005. It also played at the Camera Japan festival in Rotterdam in 2006. The story is about two friends, Saito and Kitagawa, who both want to be directors. Kitagawa decides to film a trip to northern Hokkaido in winter. Things go wrong, but Kitagawa's film footage is saved. This helps Kitagawa become a successful director.

In 2007, Matsunashi announced her next film, Happy Darts. She asked darts fans in Japan to help make the movie. This comedy was released in November 2008. It tells the story of an office worker whose life changes when she tries to win a national darts competition.

Filmography (Director)

• 1995 To Be or Not to Be (惜しみなく愛は奪ふ, Oshiminaku ai wa ubau), 8mm, 28 min.
• 1996 Cherry Boys Legend, 8mm, 55 min.
• 1997 Seventeen, VTR, feature
• 2000 SABU: Goodbye to Their Youth (サノバビッチ☆サブ　～青春グッバイ～, Sanobabicchi ☆ SABU - Seishun Gubbai), released September 29, 2000
• 2002 Replicant Joe (近未来蟹工船　レプリカント・ジョー, Kin Mirai Kanikōsen Repurikanto Jō), released March 29, 2003
• 2004 Teacher Emanuelle, VTR, 33 min.
• 2005 The Way of the Director (映画監督になる方法, Eiga Kantoku), released April 8, 2006
• 2008 Happy Darts (Ｈａｐｐｙダーツ, Happy Dātsu), released November 8, 2008
• 2010 Sabi otoko sabi onna (サビ男サビ女), released January 15, 2011 (a movie made of several short films by different directors)