Yōko Yamanaka
Yōko Yamanaka is a Japanese filmmaker known for her 2017 film, Amiko, and 2024 film, Desert of Namibia.
Also recorded as Yoko Yamanaka
Yōko Yamanaka
- Name
- Yōko Yamanaka
- Born
- 1997
- Birthplace
- Nagano, Japan
- Occupation
- Filmmaker
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q62085406 · wikipedia · Yoko Yamanaka
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Yōko Yamanaka • Born — 1997 • Birthplace — Nagano, Japan • Occupation — Filmmaker • Years Active — 2017-present • Notable Works — * Desert of Namibia • Amiko
Career
Career
Yamanaka dropped out of the Nihon University College of Art to create her debut film, Amiko. She wrote the screenplay at 19 years old, six months after graduating from high school. The film premiered in 2017 at the Pia Film Festival and won the Audience Award and the Hikari TV Award. Amiko subsequently showed at the 2018 Berlin International Film Festival, making Yamanaka the youngest director ever to premiere a film at the Berlin festival at only 20 years old. Her next feature film, Desert of Namibia, screened at the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. She won the FIPRESCI Award at the festival for her work directing the film. At age 27, Yamanaka was the youngest female director to win this award and the sixth Japanese director to win.
Personal life
Personal life
Yamanaka was born in Nagano in 1997. Her mother is Chinese.
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — Film — Credited as • Director — Producer — Writer • 2017 — Amiko • 2019 — See You on the Other Side (short) • 2024 — Desert of Namibia
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Yoko Yamanaka, revision 1342863676 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Kotzathanasis, Panos. Interview with Yoko Yamanaka. Asian Movie Pulse. 2024-10-18.
- 2.Matsumoto, Takuya. Yamanaka Yōko's "Desert of Namibia" Shows Young Film Director's Promise. Nippon.com. 2024-10-30.
- 3.Foulkes, Sarah. 'Amiko' Is A Microbudget Wonder And A Different Kind Of Coming-Of-Age Movie [Fantasia Film Festival]. SlashFilm. 2018-07-29.
- 4.Schley, Matt. Cannes 2024: Japan hot projects. Screen. 2024-05-15.
- 5.Japanese Director Yamanaka's Film Wins Critics Award at Cannes. Japan News. 2024-05-26.
- 6.Wong Macabasco, Lisa. With 'Desert of Namibia,' Yôko Yamanaka Creates a Heroine for Our Thoroughly Addled Times. Vogue. 2025-05-15.
- 7.Kotzathanasis, Panos. Interview with Yoko Yamanaka. Asian Movie Pulse. 2024-10-18.
- 8.Talks with directors: Yoko Yamanaka. psycho-cinematography. 2018-08-04.
- 9.Symchuk, Adam. Short Film Review: See You on the Other Side (2019) by Yoko Yamanaka. Asian Movie Pulse. 2020-07-24.
References
Citations
References
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 24 August 2026.
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