Photo: Kevin Paul / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Honestly, Kore-eda is the guy I reach for when I want to be quietly wrecked by a movie. No car chases, no shouting—just a family eating dinner, a kid left behind, and somehow that ordinary stuff hits like a freight train. He came up making documentaries, and you can feel it: he points the camera and waits, letting real life leak in. The way he coaxes those natural performances out of child actors is honestly a little spooky. And the question he keeps circling—is blood what makes a family, or is it the time you actually spend together?—runs through everything from Nobody Knows to Shoplifters, which rightly took the Palme d'Or in 2018. He doesn't moralize; he just observes with this stubborn tenderness, and you walk out wanting to call your mom. A genuine master.
Story
Overview
Hirokazu Kore-eda is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and documentary filmmaker born on June 6, 1962, in Nerima, Tokyo. After graduating from Waseda University and joining TV Man Union in 1987, he made his narrative feature debut with Maborosi (1995), which won the Golden Osella at the Venice International Film Festival. His film Nobody Knows (2004) earned its lead actor Yūya Yagira the Best Actor prize at Cannes, and Shoplifters (2018) won the Palme d'Or at the 71st Cannes International Film Festival, making Kore-eda the fourth Japanese director to receive that honor. He founded his own production company, Bun-buku, in 2014.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Name (Japanese)
- 是枝裕和
- Reading
- これえだ ひろかず
- Born
- June 6, 1962 (age 64)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Tiger
- Origin
- Nerima, Tokyo, Japan
- Agency
- Bun-buku Co., Ltd.
- Agency history
- TV Man Union (c. 1987–2014)
- Active years
- 1987–present
- Occupation
- Film director / Screenwriter / Documentary director / Film producer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Nerima City Kitamachi Elementary School
- Junior high
- Kiyose City Kiyose Third Junior High School
- High school
- Tokyo Metropolitan Musashi High School
- University
- Waseda University, Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences (Literature and Creative Writing)
- Debut
- Made his narrative feature film debut with Maborosi (1995) after joining TV Man Union in 1987 and producing documentaries
Awards & achievements
- 1995 Venice International Film Festival – Golden Osella (Cinematography), Maborosi
- 2004 Cannes Film Festival – Best Actor (Yūya Yagira), Nobody Knows
- 2013 Cannes Film Festival – Jury Prize, Like Father, Like Son
- 2018 Cannes Film Festival – Palme d'Or, Shoplifters
- 2019 Japan Academy Film Prize – Best Picture and Best Director, Shoplifters
- 2023 Cannes Film Festival – Best Screenplay and Queer Palme, Monster
Timeline
- 1962Born in Nerima, Tokyo
- 1987Graduated from Waseda University and joined TV Man Union
- 1995Feature debut Maborosi wins the Golden Osella at the Venice International Film Festival
- 2004Nobody Knows selected for Cannes competition; Yūya Yagira wins Best Actor
- 2013Like Father, Like Son wins the Jury Prize at the 66th Cannes International Film Festival
- 2014Left TV Man Union and founded production company Bun-buku
- 2018Shoplifters wins the Palme d'Or at the 71st Cannes International Film Festival, the fourth Japanese director to do so in 21 years
- 2023Monster wins Best Screenplay and Queer Palme at the 76th Cannes International Film Festival
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Married (spouse not disclosed)
- Children
- One daughter (publicly acknowledged)
4. Personality
Hobbies
- Watching films
- Volleyball (served as club captain in middle and high school)
Specialties
- Documentary direction
- Screenwriting
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Film | Maborosi | Director / Screenwriter | 1995 |
| Film | After Life | Director / Screenwriter | 1998 |
| Film | Nobody Knows | Director / Screenwriter | 2004 |
| Film | Still Walking | Director / Screenwriter | 2008 |
| Film | Like Father, Like Son | Director / Screenwriter | 2013 |
| Film | Our Little Sister | Director / Screenwriter | 2015 |
| Film | Shoplifters | Director / Screenwriter | 2018 |
| Film | The Truth | Director / Screenwriter | 2019 |
| Film | Broker | Director / Screenwriter | 2022 |
| Film | Monster | Director | 2023 |
6. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.kore-eda.com/
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%98%AF%E6%9E%9D%E8%A3%95%E5%92%8C
Frequently asked questions
When was Hirokazu Kore-eda born?
Born June 6, 1962 (age 64).
Where is Hirokazu Kore-eda from?
Hirokazu Kore-eda is from Nerima, Tokyo, Japan.
What does Hirokazu Kore-eda do?
Hirokazu Kore-eda works as Film director, Screenwriter, Documentary director, Film producer.
What agency is Hirokazu Kore-eda with?
Hirokazu Kore-eda is with Bun-buku Co., Ltd..
How long has Hirokazu Kore-eda been active?
1987–present.
What is Hirokazu Kore-eda known for?
Notable works include Maborosi, After Life, Nobody Knows.
Film director — see all → · Screenwriter — see all → · More people from Japan →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.