Sense of Gender Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 16 (2016) timeless award
Sunao Katabuchi
かたぶち すなお
Katabuchi Sunao
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1960-08-10 （Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
Career
- Occupations
- Film director, Animation director, Screenwriter, Director, Producer, Educator
- Active Years
- 1981-2025
- Affiliations
- Contrail Inc. (Director), MAPPA (production collaborator), Directors Guild of Japan, Japan Screenwriters Guild, Japan Society of Image Arts and Sciences, Japan Animation Society, The Association of Japanese Animations, Aviation Journalists Association
- Memberships
- Directors Guild of Japan, Japan Screenwriters Guild, Japan Society of Image Arts and Sciences, Japan Animation Society
- Influenced By
- Yasuo Otsuka, Sadao Tsukioka, Hayao Miyazaki
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nihon University College of Art | — | Film Studies (Visual Course) | — | 1979-1983 | Japan |
Nihon University College of Art
Film Studies (Visual Course)
Period:
1979-1983
Year of Graduation:
1983
Country:
Japan
Involved in animation production during university studies
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Japan Academy Prize — Best Animated Film | In This Corner of the World | 最優秀アニメーション作品賞 | Japan Academy Prize Association | 受賞 |
| 2017 | Blue Ribbon Award — Best Director | In This Corner of the World | 監督賞 | The Association of Tokyo Film Journalists (Blue Ribbon Awards) | 受賞 |
| 2017 | Annecy International Animated Film Festival — Jury Award (Feature) | In This Corner of the World | 長編部門 審査員賞 | Annecy International Animation Film Festival | 受賞 |
| 2017 | Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) — Film | In This Corner of the World | 映画部門 | Agency for Cultural Affairs (Art Encouragement Prize) | 受賞 |
| 2017 | Kinema Junpo Best Ten — Best Director | In This Corner of the World | 監督賞 | Kinema Junpo | 受賞 |
| 2017 | Takasaki Film Festival — Horizont Award | In This Corner of the World | ホリゾント賞 | Takasaki Film Festival | 受賞 |
| 2017 | Japan Animation Society Prize — Special Award | For contributions and practice exemplified in In This Corner of the World | 特別賞 | Japan Animation Society | 受賞 |
Japan Academy Prize — Best Animated Film
2017
Work:
In This Corner of the World
Category:
最優秀アニメーション作品賞
Organization:
Japan Academy Prize Association
Result:
受賞
Blue Ribbon Award — Best Director
2017
Work:
In This Corner of the World
Category:
監督賞
Organization:
The Association of Tokyo Film Journalists (Blue Ribbon Awards)
Result:
受賞
Annecy International Animated Film Festival — Jury Award (Feature)
2017
Work:
In This Corner of the World
Category:
長編部門 審査員賞
Organization:
Annecy International Animation Film Festival
Result:
受賞
Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) — Film
2017
Work:
In This Corner of the World
Category:
映画部門
Organization:
Agency for Cultural Affairs (Art Encouragement Prize)
Result:
受賞
Kinema Junpo Best Ten — Best Director
2017
Work:
In This Corner of the World
Category:
監督賞
Organization:
Kinema Junpo
Result:
受賞
Takasaki Film Festival — Horizont Award
2017
Work:
In This Corner of the World
Category:
ホリゾント賞
Organization:
Takasaki Film Festival
Result:
受賞
Japan Animation Society Prize — Special Award
2017
Work:
For contributions and practice exemplified in In This Corner of the World
Category:
特別賞
Organization:
Japan Animation Society
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
In This Corner of the World
2016 Animated feature filmAn animated feature set in wartime Hiroshima and Kure, depicting the life of a woman striving to live amid the everyday realities and devastations of war.
Everyday life during wartimeFamily and lossFemale perspectiveMemory and resilience
Adaptations
- [Film (feature)] In This Corner of the World / 片渕 須直 (2016)
Translations
Mai Mai Miracle
2009 Animated feature filmSet in a provincial town in the Showa era, the film delicately portrays girls' imagination and friendship and the overlap of past and present.
Childhood perspectiveMemory and localityComing-of-age
Princess Arete
2000 Animated feature filmA fantasy about a girl who finds her own path in a kingdom bound by power and custom. Katabuchi's first theatrical feature as director.
IndependenceConfronting authorityAdventure
Upon the Planet
1998 Short animated filmA short animated film that has been screened at international animation festivals.
Short-form animationExperimental elements
Bibliography
- The Never-ending Story (Sunao Katabuchi)
- On In This Corner of the World and More Films (Dialogue Collection)
- Sunao Katabuchi Special: A Director Overcoming Adversity
- Various Colors (essay series)
Adaptations
- In This Corner of the World (film adaptation of Kōno Fumiyo's manga)
Translations of Works
- In This Corner of the World (international releases / English subtitle versions)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Meticulous historical research-based realismCareful depiction of everyday detailsRestrained emotional expression in direction
- Recurring Motifs
- Civilian life during wartimeStories from a female perspectiveMemory and lossDetailed background depiction
Legacy
Highly regarded for meticulous historical research and detailed depiction in animation direction; he has been recognized with awards and contributed to education and the development of younger creators in both the film and animation communities.
Academic Societies
- Japan Society of Image Arts and Sciences
- Japan Animation Society
Trivia
- His maternal grandfather ran a movie theater, exposing him to films from an early age.
- Met Hayao Miyazaki while at university, an encounter that influenced his career path.
- In In This Corner of the World he conducted exhaustive historical research to recreate period detail, earning wide acclaim.
- Has deep interest in aviation history and has written about aircraft paints and related topics.
- Serves as a director of Contrail, a production company established to support his future films.