The 24th Busan International Film Festival (Korea) announced that the recipient of the 2019 Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award will be the highly acclaimed Japanese film director Kore-eda Hirokazu.

The Asian Filmmaker of the Year is presented annually to a notable film professional or organization that has shown outstanding contributions to developing the Asian film industry and culture. The Award will be given to Mr. Kore-eda Hirokazu at the premiere of his latest film “The Truth” on Saturday, October 5th at 19:30 pm.

Still from Like Father, Like Son (2013)

After winning the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival for Shoplifter (2018) Kore-eda Hirokazu solidified himself as a world-class film master. He is highly praised by the critics and cinephiles from around the world for his insights into the complexity of modern family relationships, in films like Nobody Knows (2004), Like Father, Like Son (2013), Our Little Sister (2015), and Shoplifter (2018). Mr Kore-eda HIrokazu is not new to the Busan International Film Festival as many of his movies were premiered there. In 2017 he joined the Asian Film Academy (AFA) as a dean of the program where he took the lead in teaching young Asian filmmakers.

About the Director:
Kore-eda Hirokazu was born in Tokyo, Japan. After graduating from Waseda University where he studied literature, Kore-eda intended a career as an author before going into documentary television and filmmaking. His filmography as director includes his directorial debut Maborosi (1995), Afterlife (1998), Distance (2001), Nobody Knows (2004), Still Walking (2008), Like Father, Like Son (2013), Our Little Sister (2015), After the Storm (2016), and Shoplifters (2018). Kore-eda’s film Shoplifters, a stunning masterpiece drama about family bonds, won the Palme d’Or – the highest prize – at the 71st Cannes Film Festival in 2018. Kore-eda’s new film The Truth (2019), his first feature shot outside Japan with Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche and Ethan Hawke, has been selected to open the Official Competition of the 76th Venice Film Festival, drawing worldwide attention from cinephiles and moviegoers.

Main photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.