Hirobumi Watanabe

Hirobumi Watanabe (渡辺紘文, Watanabe Hirobumi, born 1982) is a Japanese film director and actor. He writes the scripts for and performs as an actor in his films, while also sometimes acting in the films of other directors.

Hirobumi Watanabe
渡辺紘文
Born1982 (age 38–39)
Ōtawara, Japan
NationalityJapan
OccupationFilm director

Career

Watanabe was born in Ōtawara in Tochigi Prefecture and attended the Japan Institute of the Moving Image.[1] He studied under Daisuke Tengan (son of Shohei Imamura) and in 2008 won the grand prize at the 9th Fuji Film Lovers Festival with his graduation film A Light Pig of August.[2][3] In 2013, he formed the production company Foolish Piggies Films in Ōtawara with his brother Yūji Watanabe, who produces and composes the music for his films.[1][4] His 2016 film Poolsideman won the Japanese Cinema Splash Best Picture Award at the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival,[5] as well as the Nippon Visions Jury Award at the 2017 Nippon Connection.[6][7] In his review of Poolsideman, critic Mark Schilling wrote of Watanabe's early films that "Hirobumi Watanabe has created a unique cinematic world" with films "all shot in black-and-white in Watanabe’s native Tochigi Prefecture, with music by younger brother Yuji and cinematography by Woohyun Bang. All focus on socially marginalized men with lives that range from the aimless to the mundane. And all are tinged with black humor that keeps the proceedings from becoming too brain-numbingly minimalistic."[8] Watanabe also won the Japanese Cinema Splash Best Director Award at the 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival in 2019 for his film Cry.[9] He was a featured director at the 2020 Far East Film Festival with a screening of four of his films.[10]

Filmography
  • A Light Pig of August (2008)
  • Stories of Three Harbors (2009) (omnibus film)[11]
  • And the Mud Ship Sails Away... (2013)
  • Red Queen (2014) (as actor only)
  • 7 Days (2015)
  • Poolsideman (2016)
  • Party 'Round the Globe (2017)
  • Life Finds a Way (2018)
  • Cry (2019)
  • Kamata Prelude (2020) (omnibus film)
  • I'm Really Good (2020)
  • Nemuru mushi (2020) (as actor only)

References
  1. "渡辺紘文監督インタビュー". Cinemarche (in Japanese). 12 November 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  2. "Interview with Hirobumi Watanabe – Film Director – Najimu-Japan". Najimu-Japan. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  3. "栄光のフィルム：／１ 兄弟で快挙 東京国際映画祭で夢実現 ／栃木". 毎日新聞 (in Japanese). March 14, 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  4. Watanabe, Yuji. "大田原愚豚舎、創るということ". Minato Art Navi. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  5. "The Closing Ceremony – Announcement of Award Winners". Tokyo International Film Festival. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  6. "ドイツで開催の『ニッポンコネクション』今年の受賞は『永い言い訳』の他、渡辺紘文監督の『プールサイドマン』や春本雄二郎監督『かぞくへ』など-- - シネフィル - 映画とカルチャーWebマガジン". Cinefil. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  7. "Awards 2017 - Nippon Connection - Japanisches Filmfestival 2017". Nippon Connection. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  8. Schilling, Mark (27 September 2017). "'Poolsideman': Bringing life to the mundane". The Japan Times. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  9. "Award Winners: 32nd Tokyo International Film Festiva". Tokyo International Film Festival. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  10. Dalton, Ben. "Udine's Far East Film Festival unveils online programme including four world premieres". Screen Daily. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  11. "開港記念映画「3つの港の物語」プレミア上映-日中韓で制作". ヨコハマ経済新聞. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
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