Sang-il Lee
Born in 1974, Lee Sang-il studied filmmaking at the Japan Academy of Moving Images after graduating from university. He gained attention with his debut film “Chong” (1999), which won the Grand Prix and three other awards at the 2000 Pia Film Festival. His major breakthrough came with “Hula Girls" (2006), which won Best Film, Best Director
Born in 1974, Lee Sang-il studied filmmaking at the Japan Academy of Moving Images after graduating from university. He gained attention with his debut film “Chong” (1999), which won the Grand Prix and three other awards at the 2000 Pia Film Festival. His major breakthrough came with “Hula Girls" (2006), which won Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay at the Japan Academy Awards. Known for acclaimed adaptations of works by bestselling author Shuichi Yoshida, Lee's “Villain” (2010) earned a variety of awards within Japan. At the 34th Japan Academy Film Prize, it received 15 nominations across 13 categories and won five awards. His later films, including “Unforgiven” (2013), “Rage” (2016), and “The Wandering Moon” (2022), have further established him as one of Japan’s leading contemporary filmmakers.
Director's Message
Director's Message
The luxurious and gorgeous world of kabuki serves as the stage atop which the colorful cast of characters devote themselves to the arts while having their lives trifled with. I felt incredible pressure being charged with this story which Yoshida-san devoted himself to fully. It took six years after the publication to work on it, so put an
The luxurious and gorgeous world of kabuki serves as the stage atop which the colorful cast of characters devote themselves to the arts while having their lives trifled with. I felt incredible pressure being charged with this story which Yoshida-san devoted himself to fully. It took six years after the publication to work on it, so put another way, that time represents the amount of resolve I needed to work up. What really decided matters, though, was Ryo Yoshizawa and the enchanting mix of beauty and emptiness he possessed. Now that he has grown and evolved as an actor, it is clear to me that fate brought us together just when the time was right. I’m truly proud of everyone involved in the project for allowing us to overcome so many challenges and see the unknown world that lay beyond them.