Ryusuke Hamaguchi | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).png) Hamaguchi in 2018. | |
| Born | (1978-12-16)16 December 1978 (age 47) |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2001–present |
| Japanese name | |
| Romanization | Hamaguchi Ryūsuke |
| Signature | |
 | |
Ryusuke Hamaguchi (濱口 竜介,Hamaguchi Ryūsuke;[hamaꜜɡɯtɕiɾʲɯꜜːsɯ̥ke]ⓘ; born 16 December 1978) is a Japanese filmmaker. An alumnus of theUniversity of Tokyo andTokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, he first gained international recognition forHappy Hour (2015),Asako I & II (2018) andWheel of Fortune and Fantasy (2021), which premiered at the main competitions ofLocarno,Cannes andBerlin respectively.
ForDrive My Car (2021), Hamaguchi was nominated at the94th Academy Awards forBest Director andBest Adapted Screenplay, the film was thefirst Japanese production to be nominated forBest Picture, and wonBest International Feature Film.[1] He followed withEvil Does Not Exist (2023), which also received widespread critical acclaim winning theGrand Jury Prize atVenice.
After graduating from theUniversity of Tokyo, Hamaguchi worked in the commercial film industry for a few years before entering the graduate program in film atTokyo University of the Arts where he studied with and was influenced byKiyoshi Kurosawa.[2] His graduation filmPassion was selected for the competition of the 2008Tokyo Filmex.[3][4][5]
With Kō Sakai, he made a three-part documentary about survivors of the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, withVoices from the Waves being selected for the competition at the 2013Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival,[6] andStorytellers winning the Sky Perfect IDEHA Prize.[7]
His next film,Happy Hour, was first developed while Hamaguchi was an artist in residence at KIITO Design and Creative Center Kobe in 2013.[8] It came out of an improvisational acting workshop he held for non-professionals, with many of the film's performers having participated in the workshop.[9] The four lead actresses shared the best actress award and the film earned a special mention for its script at the 2015Locarno Film Festival.[10] Hamaguchi was also given a special jury award at the 2016Japan Movie Critic Awards,[11] as well as a best newcomer award in the film division of theAgency for Cultural Affairs' Geijutsu Sensho Awards that year.[12]
HisAsako I & II was selected to compete for thePalme d'Or at the2018 Cannes Film Festival.[13][14]
In 2021, Hamaguchi won the Silver Bear award at theBerlinale with hisWheel of Fortune and Fantasy. That same year hisDrive My Car won Best Picture awards from theNew York Film Critics Circle,Boston Society of Film Critics, andLos Angeles Film Critics Association as well as theGolden Globe Award for Best Non-English Language Film. Hamaguchi was nominated for an Oscar for Best Director forDrive My Car, becoming thethird Japanese director to accomplish this feat.
In 2023, his filmEvil Does Not Exist was awarded theGrand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.[15] That same year, he released the filmGift, which uses the same footage asEvil Does Not Exist (though with a different story) and is accompanied by a live score.[16]
Hamaguchi has referred to himself as "purely acinephile" and "conventionally in love with Hollywood films." He has been influenced by the works ofJohn Cassavetes.[17]
In April 2024, he listed his 50 favorite films forLaCinetek.[18] His selection explores various cinema genres and periods, including works from directors such asRobert Bresson,Clint Eastwood,Howard Hawks,Edward Yang,Kenji Mizoguchi andRobert Zemeckis.
In December 2023, alongside 50 other filmmakers, Hamaguchi signed an open letter published inLibération demanding a ceasefire and an end to the killing of civilians amid the2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, and for a humanitarian corridor into Gaza to be established for humanitarian aid, and the release of hostages.[21][22][23]
| Year | English title | Original title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Solaris | ||
| 2008 | Passion | Graduation work atTokyo University of the Arts[24] | |
| 2010 | The Depths | Co-written by Kôta Ôura | |
| 2013 | Intimacies | 親密さ | [25] |
| 2015 | Happy Hour | ハッピーアワー | Co-written by Tadashi Nohara and Tomoyuki Takahashi |
| 2018 | Asako I & II | 寝ても覚めても | Co-written by Sachiko Tanaka |
| 2021 | Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy | 偶然と想像 | |
| Drive My Car | ドライブ・マイ・カー | Co-written by Takamasa Oe | |
| 2023 | Evil Does Not Exist | 悪は存在しない | |
| 2026 | All of a Sudden | 急に具合が悪くなる | Post-production;[26] French language debut |
| Year | English title | Original title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Wife of a Spy | スパイの妻 | Directed byKiyoshi Kurosawa |
| Year | English title | Original title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Sound of the Waves | 東北記録映画三部作 なみのおと | Co-directed by Ko Sakai[27] |
| 2013 | Voices from the Waves - Kesennuma[28] | 東北記録映画三部作 なみのこえ 気仙沼 | Co-directed by Ko Sakai |
| Voices from the Waves - Shinchi-machi[29] | 東北記録映画三部作 なみのこえ 新地町 | ||
| Storytellers[30][31] | 東北記録映画三部作 うたうひと |
| Year | English Title | Original title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Go to the Movies | 映画を見に行く | |
| 2003 | Like Nothing Happened[32] | 何食わぬ顔 | |
| 2005 | The Beginning | はじまり | |
| Friend of the Night | |||
| 2006 | Scent of Memory | 記憶の香り | |
| Attack | 遊撃 | ||
| 2009 | I Love Thee For Good[33] | 永遠に君を愛す | |
| 2013 | Touching the Skin of Eeriness[34] | 不気味なものの肌に触れる | |
| 2016 | Heaven Is Still Far Away[35] | 天国はまだ遠い | |
| 2023 | Gift | ギフト | Created to accompanyEiko Ishibashi new album |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Nantes Three Continents Festival | Le prix du public | Happy Hour | Won | [36] |
| 2021 | Berlin International Film Festival | Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize | Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy | Won | [37] |
| Cannes Film Festival | Best Screenplay | Drive My Car | Won | [38] | |
| FIPRESCI Prize | Won | ||||
| Prize of the Ecumenical Jury | Won | ||||
| New York Film Critics Circle | Best Picture | Won | [39] | ||
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | Best International / Foreign Language Film | Won | [40] | ||
| Boston Society of Film Critics | Best Film | Won | [41] | ||
| Best Director | Won | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | Best Picture | Won | [42] | ||
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
| 2022 | Academy Awards | Best Picture | Nominated | ||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Best Director | Nominated | ||||
| Best International Feature Film | Won | ||||
| National Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Film | Won | [43][44] | ||
| Best Director | Won | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
| 2023 | Asian Film Awards | Best Director | Nominated | [45] | |
| Venice International Film Festival | Golden Lion | Evil Does Not Exist | Nominated | ||
| Grand Jury Prize | Won |
