Japan»

Shuzo John SHIOTA President & CEO, Polygon Pictures Inc. Graduate of the Sophia University Faculty of Law, Department of International Legal Studies. Joining the Nippon Steel Corporation in 1991. After going on to participate in the launch of Dream Picture Studio in 1997, he moved to Polygon in 1999. In 2003, he assumed the position of President and CEO, spearheaded efforts to cultivate Polygon’s overseas presence. On the other hand, He has also served as a judge at Prix Ars Electronica (Australia) and SIGGRAPH (United States), etc. In 2008, he was selected as one of the “25 Toon Titans of Asia” by Animation Magazine. At the 2016 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, he presided as a. He has raised in the United States and his hobbies include playing in a band.

Yuichi ITOH Animation Director Born in 1962. He graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts, Department of Design. In 1998, he established I.TOON Ltd and became its representative. Yuichi has mostly worked with clay, but also applied other methods to work on character design and animation. One of his best known works is NHK E TV’s “Knyacki,” which is now in its 24th year. He also produced the visuals for “Grasshopper Monogatari,” a song that was included in NHK’s “Minna-no Uta” (everybody’s song). He also made an appearance in the film. Yuichi directed the original animation “HARBOR TALE,” a story set in Yokohama Port in 2011. It received strong reviews both in Japan and overseas. He also designed “Garden Bear,” the mascot for the 2017 National Urban Greenery Fair. Yuichi is also a professor at the Graduate School of Film and New Media at the Tokyo University of the Arts. He sits on the board of the Japan Animation Association.

Tatsutoshi NOMURA Director/Animator/Professor Born in 1964. Tatsutoshi joined ROBOT COMMUNICATIONS INC. in 1987. After he worked as a director for commercials, he created original animations applying different types of methods. These include Fuji Television’s “STRAY SHEEP” and NHK’s “Jam the HOUSNAIL.” Tatsutoshi has also been involved in creating commercials, picture books, illustrations and exhibit visuals. He has been teaching animation at his alma meter Tama Art University, Department of Graphic Design since 2011. He is a member of the board of Japan Animation Association.

Kanae TAKEUCHI Reporter Takeuchi has reported from more than 100 countries in the world for over 30 years as a Mystery Hunter for the Japanese TV program “Discovery of the World's Mysteries”. She is still active as a reporter in Japan and abroad, and also produces hats, bags and shoes using her expertise from her many years of travels.

Isshin INUDO DIRECTOR Born in Tokyo in 1960. He began directing and creating independent films from high school. After he graduated university, Isshin became a director for commercials, and won numerous awards for the TV commercials he planned and directed. He made his debut as a director of feature films with “Two People Talking” in 1997, which won the Directors Guild of Japan’s new director’s award. In 1999, he directed “Across a Gold Prairie.” Isshin is also known for his movies “Josee, the Tiger and the Fish,” (2003), “La Maison de Himiko” (2005), “BIZAN” (2007) and “The Floating Castle” (2012). His most recent film, “Samurai Shifters” is due to be shown in August 2019.

Jin KATAGIRI Actor・Sculptor Born on November 27, 1973 in Saitama Prefecture. He graduated from Tama Art University. Jin has worked mostly for the stage, dramas and radio. Some recent works he directed are “99.9 Criminal Lawyer” (TBS) and “Your Turn to Kill” (NTV). He is due to direct a stage in November. In addition to his work in the theater, he has also been active in creative work using clay. He has held an exhibit of his works every year. Jin held his first overseas exhibit this year in Taiwan, which was very well received.

Katsuyuki Motohiro Director After attending a film school and working at a film maker, Motohiro marked his debut as a film director in 1996 with "July 7th, Hare." The 2013 movie " Odoru daisosasen the movie 2: Rainbow Bridge wo fuusa seyo!" recorded the top box-office revenue of all time for live-action Japanese movies. He has been actively involved in a variety of fields such as TV drama, theater, animation game, music video, short movie as well commercial message. He is also involved in multiple film festivals. In 2015, he directed "Makuga agaru," a film based on a novel by Oriza Hirata and "Momoiro Clover Z" starring in a lead role. He also directed a stage-version of this work.

Nao KUBOTA Director Born in 1960.CEO of Solidjam Inc. He has been directing mainly documentary TV programmes and image products since 1983, and awarded a number of prizes, such as Galaxy Award, ATP Award, Japan Prime mister Award. In 2007 he was awarded Traiblazer International Award in MIPDOC, which is the world biggest international film contents exhibition taking place in Cannes, France. He was elected as one of “The World Eight Documentarist”. His first directed narrative film “Homeland” officially submitted to Berlin International Film Festival. Kubota received Gold Prize at Shindo Kaneto Awards in 2014.

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