Junji Sakamoto

Junji Sakamoto studied at Yokohama National University. The recorded working language is Japanese. Distinctions recorded are Mainichi Film Award for Best Screenplay, Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Director, Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award and Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Director.

• Name — Junji Sakamoto • Born — 1 January 1958 • Birthplace — Sakai, Osaka, Japan • Occupation — Film director • Years Active — 1989–present

After working as a set assistant or assistant director under such filmmakers as Sogo Ishii and Kazuyuki Izutsu, he made his directorial debut in 1989 with Dotsuitarunen (earning the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award) and followed it up with another boxing film, Tekken, in 1990. Sakamoto became known for action films focusing on the conflicts between male characters, such as Tokarefu and New Battles Without Honor and Humanity, but has also made films centered on female characters such as Face and Awakening. He won the award for Best Director at the 24th Japan Academy Prize and at the 22nd Yokohama Film Festival for Face. He won the Special Jury prize for My House at the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival in 2003. Chameleon, an action film starring Tatsuya Fujiwara and Asami Mizukawa, screened at the Busan International Film Festival in 2008. Children of the Dark, a thriller film shot in Thailand, was denied to screen at the Bangkok International Film Festival in 2008. Zatoichi: The Last, a jidaigeki film starring Shingo Katori, and Strangers in the City, a thriller film starring Toru Nakamura and Manami Konishi, were both released in 2010. Someday, an ensemble comedy film starring Yoshio Harada, won the Best Picture prize at the Yokohama Film Festival in 2011. He also directed A Chorus of Angels, a 2012 film starring Sayuri Yoshinaga, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Toei Company. His 2013 film, Human Trust, starred Kōichi Satō, Yoo Ji-tae, and Vincent Gallo.

• Dotsuitarunen (1989) • Tekken (1990) • Ōte (1991) • Tokarefu (1994) • Boxer Joe (1995) • Biriken (1996) • Scarred Angels (1997) • The Goofball (1998) • Face (2000) • New Battles Without Honor and Humanity (2000) • KT (2002) • My House (2003) • Out of This World (2004) • Aegis (2005) • Awakening (2007) • Chameleon (2008) • Children of the Dark (2008) • Zatoichi: The Last (2010) • Strangers in the City (2010) • Someday (2011) • A Chorus of Angels (2012) • Human Trust (2013) • Joe, Tomorrow (2015) • The Projects (2016) • Ernesto (2017) • Another World (2019) • I Never Shot Anyone (2020) • My Brother, The Android and Me (2022) • A Winter Rose (2022) • Okiku and the World (2023) • Climbing for Life (2025)

Junji Sakamoto is recorded with the occupation film director. Recorded as having received Mainichi Film Award for Best Screenplay, Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Director and Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award.