Yamazaki Takashi

One of Japan’s premiere directors of fantasy and drama, specializing in visual effects films, particularly science fiction and period dramas. Yamazaki Takashi was influenced from an early age by Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (both 1977). In 1986 he joined the Shirogumi effects house, which has had a hand in each of his directorial efforts. He made his debut in 2000 with the small-scale sci-fi film Juvenile.

Yamazaki’s third film, Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005), was a massive critical success and swept the Japanese Academy Awards, winning 12 of 13 nominations. His subsequent works haven’t yet matched Always for critical acclaim, but they have been well-received regardless. Yamazaki popularized the term ‘VFX’ in film, styling it alongside his director credit at the end of his films.

His passion project Space Battleship Yamato (2010) spent nearly a year in post-production to concentrate on its visuals. The film went on to best Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 at the Japanese box office.

Yamazaki’s Always: Sunset on Third Street 3 (2012) was the first full-length Japanese film to be shot entirely on 3D cameras. He has also branched out into 3D animated films, co-directing Friends: Naki on Monster Island (2011) and Stand By Me Doraemon (2014) with Yagi Ryûichi.

His films are generally family-friendly fare, with the notable exception of the Parasyte films, which are his only full-on horror works. He is married to director/screenwriter Satô Shimako. They collaborated together on Satô’s Eko Eko Azarak films (1995, 1996), K-20 (2008), and Space Battleship Yamato.

Yamazaki has consistently worked with composer Satô Naoki since Always (which nabbed Naoki his first Japanese Academy Award). He is a fan of the Japanese pop band BUMP OF CHICKEN; he has directed several of their music videos, and they provided the theme songs for his Always films. In December 2017, Yamazaki was appointed to the planning committee for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In 2024, Yamazaki accepted the Oscar for Best Visual Effects for Godzilla Minus One (2023), the first film in the Godzilla franchise to be so honored.