is a Japanese director

Film director

A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...

 of fiction films, documentaries and experimental films. Born on Ishigaki Island and raised in Naha, Takamine went to university in Kyoto

Kyoto

is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...

 and there began making 8mm films. He made his feature film debut with Paradise View (1985) and won a number of awards for Untamagiru

Untamagiru

is a 1989 Japanese film directed by Gō Takamine. It is magical realist story of the legendary Okinawan hero Untamagiru participating in efforts to form an independent Okinawa before the island was returned to Japan in 1972. Many of the characters speak in the Okinawan language and thus mainland...

(1989), including the Caligari Film Award at the Berlin Film Festival, the best feature film award at the Hawaii International Film Festival

Hawaii International Film Festival

The Hawaii International Film Festival is a film festival held in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It was started in 1981 by Jeannette Paulson Hereniko and has been held annually in the fall for two weeks...

, the Golden Montgolfiere at the Three Continents Festival

Three Continents Festival

The Festival of the Three Continents is an annual film festival held since 1979 in Nantes, France, and is devoted to the cinemas of Asia, and Africa and Latin America. It was founded by Philippe and Alain Jalladeau. The top award in the festival's competition is the balloon shaped Golden...

, and the Hochi Film Award

Hochi Film Award

The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by the Hochi Shimbun.- Categories :*Best Picture*Best International Picture*Best Actor*Best Actress*Best Supporting Actor*Best Supporting Actress*Best New Artist*Special Award*Best Director- Winner :...

. That film also earned him the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award

Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award

The is given annually by the Directors Guild of Japan to a new director of a film released that year who is considered the most "suitable" for the award. The winner is selected by a committee formed of DGJ members. All formats—feature film, documentary, television, video, etc.—are eligible for...

. Other works include the feature-length video Tsuru-Henry (1998) and documentaries on Okinawan performers such as Rinshō Kadekaru

Rinsho Kadekaru

' was a representative Okinawan folk singer of the post-war era.- Early life :Kadekaru was born in Goeku Village to Rintarō and Ushi Kadekaru. He was the eldest of three siblings, with two younger sisters. He began playing around with sanshin from the age of seven, and was strongly influenced by...

. His films have centered on the politics of Okinawan history and cultural identity, particularly by using the Okinawan language

Okinawan language

Central Okinawan, or simply Okinawan , is a Northern Ryukyuan language spoken primarily in the southern half of the island of Okinawa, as well as in the surrounding islands of Kerama, Kumejima, Tonaki, Aguni, and a number of smaller peripheral islands...

, music and folk legends.

Selected filmography

• Okinawan Dream Show (オキナワン　ドリーム　ショー, 1974)
• Okinawan Chirudai (オキナワン　チルダイ, 1978)
• Paradise View (パラダイスビュー, 1985)
• Untamagiru
  Untamagiru
  is a 1989 Japanese film directed by Gō Takamine. It is magical realist story of the legendary Okinawan hero Untamagiru participating in efforts to form an independent Okinawa before the island was returned to Japan in 1972. Many of the characters speak in the Okinawan language and thus mainland...
  
  (ウンタマギルー, 1989)
• Tsuru-Henry (夢幻琉球・つるヘンリー, 1998)

External links

• Katakuchiwarū Director's blog (in Japanese)