Sion Sono
Encyclopedia
is a controversial Japanese
filmmaker and poet. He was born in Toyokawa, Aichi, Japan, and is best known for his films as well as avant-garde
poetry
performances.
In 1992, Sono's second feature film The Room (Heya), also written by himself, a bizarre tale about a serial killer looking for a room in a bleak, doomed Tokyo district, participated at the Tokyo Sundance Film Festival
and won the Special Jury Prize. The Room also toured on 49 festivals worldwide, including the Berlin Film Festival and the Rotterdam Film Festival.
At this stage Sono appeared as an actor in the movie I Hate You... Not (Kirai... Janaiyo), and in 1994 caught the attention of the acclaimed French directors Jean-Jacques Beineix
and Jackie Bastide, who used footage of Sion Sono's poetry group and interviewed him for their famous documentary Otaku, about the otaku
lifestyle and post-modernism in Japan. However, Sono appeared as the opposite of an otaku—the footage used was of him and his group in street performances and outgoing activities. Otaku was a success and made Sono gain fame as both a poet and prominent figure in Japanese independent filmmaking.
Sion Sono also continued to direct and write various films such as Keiko Desukedo (a film about the lonely life of a waitress) in 1997 and the 26-min short Kaze (Wind) in 1998.
street poetry
-reading project named Tokyo GAGAGA, which elevated his popularity around the poet community in Japan. The project itself was an extended performance that Sion Sono and a group which he founded had been doing before in short periods of times. The performance featured a protest-like mass poetry reading and painting around various popular places and subway stations in Tokyo (namely, the Shibuya
and Harayuko station), where the two-thousand GAGAGA members placed themselves with poems painted in black ink in huge flags. Although the police appeared quite frequently during the GAGAGA project, it lasted a few weeks, and also became a book by the end of the performance with immediate success.
After this period, Sono followed his filmmaking career in 1998 with a serial killer movie, Dankon: The Man, and also took part as the star, director and writer in the pseudo-documentary Utsushimi in 2000, about four artists (himself, butoh master Maro Akaji, fotographer Nobuyoshi Araki
and fashion designer Arakawa Shinichiro) and their race to make a movie together, with a romantic comedy story underneath.
He also participated in a small role as an actor in the film and novel adaptation Blind Beast vs. Dwarf
(Môjû tai Issunbôshi), and released 0cm4 in 2001, an experimental film about a colorblind man and how his world abruptly and severely changes after an operation that cures him, starring Masatoshi Nagase
who became a close friend to Sion Sono.
(from 0cm4) and Maro Akaji (from Utsumishi), along with big stars such as Ryo Ishibashi
and Rolly
, although using for its most unknown actors such as Saya Hagiwara. Suicide Circle became a major commercial hit in Japan and was also played in many film festivals, where it was retitled Suicide Club (as opposed to the literal translation of 'saakuru' (サークル) or 'circle', which is what school clubs are known as in Japan). It won the Groundbreaker Award and the Most Groundbreaking Film jury prize at the Fant-Asia Film Festival
.
Suicide Circles opening scene, shocking and extreme, made it famous around the independent horror fanbase, becoming a cult movie, and as a result it was the first Sion Sono movie to get an official DVD release in the West. This made him a popular director in the J-Horror
English-speaking community, who began looking forward to his films, as Sono stated that Suicide Circle would be a part of a trilogy.
After the huge success that Suicide Circle represented in Sono's career as a filmmaker, he decided to improve his fame as a writer and released a novel titled Jisatsu Saakuru: Kanzenban (Suicide Circle: The Complete Edition), which served as a side-story and sequel to the movie. He also worked with manga artist Usumaru Furuya and released the Suicide Circle manga, which was a completely different story, as Sono requested Furuya. He also released various films such as Chichi no Nichi and HAZARD
, starring once again Saya Hagiwara.
2005 was a major year in Sion Sono's career. He wrote and directed Into a Dream (Yume no Naka e), which also released as a novel later on, and was a coming-of-age tale much in the style of his first film Bicycle Sighs, about the life of a theatre group member and his quest to find who he is. Few weeks after that, he released the Suicide Circles second part, based on the Kanzenban novel. Noriko's Dinner Table
was also directed and written by him, and was part of twelve film festivals worldwide. For this movie he worked with many first-time actors, and took the Suicide Circle story into a different level. For his efforts, he received a Don Quijote Award and a Special Mention at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival.
At the end of 2005, Sion Sono also premiered a personal project with famous actor Ishida Issei and the legendary actress Miyazaki Masumi, in what became her acclaimed comeback after a decade off the screen. Strange Circus
(Kimyô na Sâkasu), directed, written, composed and cinematographed by Sono, took elements from the infamous Grand Guignol
theater and a story from the minds of both Masumi and Sono, filled with incest, sexual abuse, terrible family issues, extreme gore, and a twisted sense of reality. The film participated in many film festivals with a huge success, boosting Masumi's and Sono's career.
In 2008, he was the director and writer of the popular Love Exposure
, winning many awards and positive reviews in the diverse film festival
s around the world.
He is the director of the movie based on the book Lords of Chaos, currently in production. Sono works currently on the serial killer thriller film Cold Fish.
Since 1993, Sion Sono has always written the scripts and supervised the soundtracks for his movies alongside his cameraman Otsuka Yuichiro.
Sion Sono always wears his trademark black fedora hat in his public appearances.
His upcoming film Himizu
is scheduled to compete in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival
in September.
Austin Fantastic Fest
Berlin International Film Festival
Fant-Asia Film Festival
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Mainichi Film Concours
Sono also received the following nominations for his films:
Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Asian Film Awards
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
filmmaker and poet. He was born in Toyokawa, Aichi, Japan, and is best known for his films as well as avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
performances.
Early career
Sono began his career as a poet in 1978 when he was only 17 years old. His poems appeared in popular Japanese publications such as The Modern Poem Book. Afterwards, he enrolled in Hosei University, but left school in mid-course and began making 8 mm films. In 1985, he debuted in the PIA Film Festival with a 30-min experimental short movie, I Am Sion Sono!! (Ore wa Sion Sono da!!), a selection of his poetry being read by him on the screen. In 1987, he participated with the movie A Man's Hanamichi (Otoko no Hanamichi), and won the Grand Prize.Feature filmmaker
After receiving a fellowship with the PIA, Sono made his first feature-length 16 mm film in 1990, Bicycle Sighs (Jitensha Toiki), which he co-wrote, directed, and starred himself. A coming-of-age tale about two underachievers in the perfectionist Japan, Bicycle Sighs settled Sono as a director with great box office success in Japan, and for nearly two years was played over 30 film festivals around Europe and Asia.In 1992, Sono's second feature film The Room (Heya), also written by himself, a bizarre tale about a serial killer looking for a room in a bleak, doomed Tokyo district, participated at the Tokyo Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
and won the Special Jury Prize. The Room also toured on 49 festivals worldwide, including the Berlin Film Festival and the Rotterdam Film Festival.
At this stage Sono appeared as an actor in the movie I Hate You... Not (Kirai... Janaiyo), and in 1994 caught the attention of the acclaimed French directors Jean-Jacques Beineix
Jean-Jacques Beineix
-Biography:In 1964, Jean-Jacques Beineix started his career as Jean Becker's assistant director on the famous French TV series, Les saintes chéries until the end of 1967. Then, in 1970 he worked for Claude Berri and in 1971 for Claude Zidi. In 1977, he directed his first short movie Le Chien de M....
and Jackie Bastide, who used footage of Sion Sono's poetry group and interviewed him for their famous documentary Otaku, about the otaku
Otaku
is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.- Etymology :Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family , which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun...
lifestyle and post-modernism in Japan. However, Sono appeared as the opposite of an otaku—the footage used was of him and his group in street performances and outgoing activities. Otaku was a success and made Sono gain fame as both a poet and prominent figure in Japanese independent filmmaking.
Sion Sono also continued to direct and write various films such as Keiko Desukedo (a film about the lonely life of a waitress) in 1997 and the 26-min short Kaze (Wind) in 1998.
Tokyo GAGAGA
Coming back to his poet roots, in 1997 Sion Sono staged a controversial guerrilla performancePerformance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
street poetry
Street Poetry
Street Poetry is the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks' tenth studio album. The album reached the top 10 on the Finnish charts, and succeeded very well elsewhere in Europe too. The first single spawned was "Fashion", and the second was an internet-only single "This One's For Rock'n'Roll"...
-reading project named Tokyo GAGAGA, which elevated his popularity around the poet community in Japan. The project itself was an extended performance that Sion Sono and a group which he founded had been doing before in short periods of times. The performance featured a protest-like mass poetry reading and painting around various popular places and subway stations in Tokyo (namely, the Shibuya
Shibuya Station
is a train station located in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. With 2.4 million passengers on an average weekday in 2004, it is the fourth-busiest commuter rail station in Japan handling a large amount of commuter traffic between the center city and suburbs to the south and west.-JR East:*Saikyō Line /...
and Harayuko station), where the two-thousand GAGAGA members placed themselves with poems painted in black ink in huge flags. Although the police appeared quite frequently during the GAGAGA project, it lasted a few weeks, and also became a book by the end of the performance with immediate success.
After this period, Sono followed his filmmaking career in 1998 with a serial killer movie, Dankon: The Man, and also took part as the star, director and writer in the pseudo-documentary Utsushimi in 2000, about four artists (himself, butoh master Maro Akaji, fotographer Nobuyoshi Araki
Nobuyoshi Araki
is a Japanese photographer and contemporary artist. He is also known by the nickname .-Life and career:Araki was born in Tokyo, studied photography during his college years and then went to work at the advertising agency Dentsu, where he met his future wife, the essayist Yōko Araki...
and fashion designer Arakawa Shinichiro) and their race to make a movie together, with a romantic comedy story underneath.
He also participated in a small role as an actor in the film and novel adaptation Blind Beast vs. Dwarf
Blind Beast vs. Dwarf
aka Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf is a 2001 film by Japanese director Teruo Ishii. It is the last film he directed.Mieko Tanaka, who was elected to the Diet in the 2009 Japanese general election, appears in Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf in a role that includes a nude scene...
(Môjû tai Issunbôshi), and released 0cm4 in 2001, an experimental film about a colorblind man and how his world abruptly and severely changes after an operation that cures him, starring Masatoshi Nagase
Masatoshi Nagase
Masatoshi Nagase is a Japanese actor. He is best known in the West for his roles in Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's Cold Fever and Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train, in Japan for his role as TV's Mike Hama .He has won two Japanese Academy Awards, for Best Supporting Actor and Best Newcomer in 1992...
who became a close friend to Sion Sono.
Worldwide popularity and current projects
In 2001, Sion Sono wrote, directed, shot in the record time of two weeks (and assembled in four) what would later become his most successful movie to date: Suicide Circle, (Jisatsu Saakuru), a disturbing thriller about Japan's incredibly high suicide rate. The film once again starred Sono's friends Masatoshi NagaseMasatoshi Nagase
Masatoshi Nagase is a Japanese actor. He is best known in the West for his roles in Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's Cold Fever and Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train, in Japan for his role as TV's Mike Hama .He has won two Japanese Academy Awards, for Best Supporting Actor and Best Newcomer in 1992...
(from 0cm4) and Maro Akaji (from Utsumishi), along with big stars such as Ryo Ishibashi
Ryo Ishibashi
is a Japanese actor and international celebrity. He is known around the world for his roles in the classic Japanese Horror films Suicide Club and Audition. He is also recognized in America for his role as Nakagawa in The Grudge and The Grudge 2....
and Rolly
Rolly Teranishi
more commonly known as Rolly, is a Japanese musician and music producer.- Personal background :Teranishi was born in Kyoto. He grew up in Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.- Professional background :...
, although using for its most unknown actors such as Saya Hagiwara. Suicide Circle became a major commercial hit in Japan and was also played in many film festivals, where it was retitled Suicide Club (as opposed to the literal translation of 'saakuru' (サークル) or 'circle', which is what school clubs are known as in Japan). It won the Groundbreaker Award and the Most Groundbreaking Film jury prize at the Fant-Asia Film Festival
Fantasia Festival
Fantasia International Film Festival is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996...
.
Suicide Circles opening scene, shocking and extreme, made it famous around the independent horror fanbase, becoming a cult movie, and as a result it was the first Sion Sono movie to get an official DVD release in the West. This made him a popular director in the J-Horror
J-Horror
Japanese horror, or J-Horror, is Japanese horror fiction in popular culture, noted for its unique thematic and conventional treatment of the horror genre in light of western treatments...
English-speaking community, who began looking forward to his films, as Sono stated that Suicide Circle would be a part of a trilogy.
After the huge success that Suicide Circle represented in Sono's career as a filmmaker, he decided to improve his fame as a writer and released a novel titled Jisatsu Saakuru: Kanzenban (Suicide Circle: The Complete Edition), which served as a side-story and sequel to the movie. He also worked with manga artist Usumaru Furuya and released the Suicide Circle manga, which was a completely different story, as Sono requested Furuya. He also released various films such as Chichi no Nichi and HAZARD
Hazard
A hazard is a situation that poses a level of threat to life, health, property, or environment. Most hazards are dormant or potential, with only a theoretical risk of harm; however, once a hazard becomes "active", it can create an emergency situation. A hazard does not exist when it is not...
, starring once again Saya Hagiwara.
2005 was a major year in Sion Sono's career. He wrote and directed Into a Dream (Yume no Naka e), which also released as a novel later on, and was a coming-of-age tale much in the style of his first film Bicycle Sighs, about the life of a theatre group member and his quest to find who he is. Few weeks after that, he released the Suicide Circles second part, based on the Kanzenban novel. Noriko's Dinner Table
Noriko's Dinner Table
, is the sequel to the cult film Suicide Club , a Japanese film, written and directed by Sion Sono, concerning a mass suicide of 54 schoolgirls and how it leads the law to a shadowy cult...
was also directed and written by him, and was part of twelve film festivals worldwide. For this movie he worked with many first-time actors, and took the Suicide Circle story into a different level. For his efforts, he received a Don Quijote Award and a Special Mention at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival.
At the end of 2005, Sion Sono also premiered a personal project with famous actor Ishida Issei and the legendary actress Miyazaki Masumi, in what became her acclaimed comeback after a decade off the screen. Strange Circus
Strange Circus
-Plot:School principal Ozawa Gozo rapes his daughter, Mitsuko, after she sees her parents having sex. Her mother Sayuri witnesses the rape. Gozo now rapes both of them as he pleases, while his family is undermined by incest, suicide, and murder... such is the erotic novel wheel-bound novelist Taeko...
(Kimyô na Sâkasu), directed, written, composed and cinematographed by Sono, took elements from the infamous Grand Guignol
Grand Guignol
Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol — known as the Grand Guignol — was a theatre in the Pigalle area of Paris . From its opening in 1897 until its closing in 1962 it specialized in naturalistic horror shows...
theater and a story from the minds of both Masumi and Sono, filled with incest, sexual abuse, terrible family issues, extreme gore, and a twisted sense of reality. The film participated in many film festivals with a huge success, boosting Masumi's and Sono's career.
In 2008, he was the director and writer of the popular Love Exposure
Love Exposure
is a 2008 Japanese film written and directed by Sion Sono. The film gained a considerable amount of notoriety in film festivals around the world for its four-hour duration and themes including love, family, lust, religion and the art of upskirt photography. The first version was originally six...
, winning many awards and positive reviews in the diverse film festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
s around the world.
He is the director of the movie based on the book Lords of Chaos, currently in production. Sono works currently on the serial killer thriller film Cold Fish.
Since 1993, Sion Sono has always written the scripts and supervised the soundtracks for his movies alongside his cameraman Otsuka Yuichiro.
Sion Sono always wears his trademark black fedora hat in his public appearances.
His upcoming film Himizu
Himizu (film)
is 2011 Japanese drama film based on a manga of the same name by Minoru Furuya. Himizu is directed by director Sion Sono, whose works includes films like Cold Fish and Guilty of Romance ....
is scheduled to compete in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival
68th Venice International Film Festival
The 68th annual Venice Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, took place from 31 August to 10 September 2011. American film director Darren Aronofsky was announced as the Head of the Jury. American actor and film director Al Pacino was presented with the Glory to the Film-maker award on 4 September,...
in September.
Filmography
- I Am Sion Sono!! (Ore wa Sion Sono da!!) – Director, Writer and Actor
- A Man's Hanamichi (Otoko no Hanamichi) – Director and Writer
- Kessen! Joshiryo tai Danshiryo (Decisive Match! Girls Dorm Against Boys Dorm) – Director and Writer
- Bicycle Sighs (Jitensha Toiki) – Director, Co-writer and Actor
- The Room (Heya) – Director and Writer
- I Hate You... Not (Kirai... Janaiyo) – Actor
- Otaku – Actor
- Keiko Desukedo – Director and Writer
- Kaze (Wind) – Director and Writer
- Dankon: The Man – Director and Writer
- Seigi no Tatsujin Nyotai Tsubo Saguri – Director and Writer
- Utsushimi – Director, Writer and Cinematographer
- Blind Beast vs. DwarfBlind Beast vs. Dwarfaka Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf is a 2001 film by Japanese director Teruo Ishii. It is the last film he directed.Mieko Tanaka, who was elected to the Diet in the 2009 Japanese general election, appears in Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf in a role that includes a nude scene...
(Moju tai Issunboshi) – Actor - 0cm4 – Director and Writer
- BAD FILM – Director and Writer
- Suicide ClubSuicide ClubThe Suicide Club was a secret society in San Francisco credited as the first modern extreme urban exploration society, and also known for anarchic group pranks.-History:...
(Jisatsu Saakuru) – Director and Writer - Chichi no Hi (Father's Day) – Director and Writer
- Otona ni Nattara (Become the Adult) – Director and Writer
- HAZARDHazardA hazard is a situation that poses a level of threat to life, health, property, or environment. Most hazards are dormant or potential, with only a theoretical risk of harm; however, once a hazard becomes "active", it can create an emergency situation. A hazard does not exist when it is not...
– Director and Writer - Into a Dream (Yume no Naka e) – Director and Writer
- Noriko's Dinner TableNoriko's Dinner Table, is the sequel to the cult film Suicide Club , a Japanese film, written and directed by Sion Sono, concerning a mass suicide of 54 schoolgirls and how it leads the law to a shadowy cult...
(Noriko no Shokutaku) – Director and Writer - Strange CircusStrange Circus-Plot:School principal Ozawa Gozo rapes his daughter, Mitsuko, after she sees her parents having sex. Her mother Sayuri witnesses the rape. Gozo now rapes both of them as he pleases, while his family is undermined by incest, suicide, and murder... such is the erotic novel wheel-bound novelist Taeko...
(Kimyo na Sakasu) – Director, Writer, Composer and Cinematographer - Exte -Hair Extensions-Exteis a 2007 Japanese horror film written and directed by Sion Sono, and stars Chiaki Kuriyama, Ren Osugi, and Megumi Satō. The title is a Japanese slang shortening Romanization of the English term "extension" from "hair extension"....
(Ekusute) – Director and Writer - Love ExposureLove Exposureis a 2008 Japanese film written and directed by Sion Sono. The film gained a considerable amount of notoriety in film festivals around the world for its four-hour duration and themes including love, family, lust, religion and the art of upskirt photography. The first version was originally six...
– Director and Writer - Chanto tsutaeru ("Be Sure to Share") – Director and Writer
- Cold FishCold Fishis a 2010 Japanese serial killer film directed by Sion Sono. The film is about a quiet and unambitious owner of a tropical fish shop who's life and family are taken over by a fellow fish entrepreneur who happens to be a serial killer...
– Director and Co-Writer - Lords of Chaos – Director and Co-Writer
- Guilty of RomanceGuilty of Romanceis an upcoming 2011 Japanese film directed by Sion Sono.-External links:* at Twitch Film* at Variety...
(Koi no Tsumi) – Director and Writer - HimizuHimizu (film)is 2011 Japanese drama film based on a manga of the same name by Minoru Furuya. Himizu is directed by director Sion Sono, whose works includes films like Cold Fish and Guilty of Romance ....
- Director
Awards
Sono received the following awards for his films:Austin Fantastic Fest
- 2007 - Best Film - Ekusute
Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
- 2006 - Reader Jury of the "Berliner Zeitung" - Strange Circus
- 2009 - Caligari Film Award - Love Exposure
- 2009 - FIPRESCI Prize - Love Exposure
Fant-Asia Film Festival
- 2003 - Most Ground-Breaking Film - Suicide Club
- 2003 - Fantasia Ground-Breaker Award - Suicide Club
- 2009 - Best Asian Film - Love Exposure
- 2009 - Most Innovative Film - Love Exposure
- 2009 - Special Jury Prize - Love Exposure
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
- 2005 - Don Quijote Award - Noriko's Dinner Table
- 2005 - Special Mention - Noriko's Dinner Table
Mainichi Film Concours
- 2010 - Best Director - Love Exposure
Sono also received the following nominations for his films:
Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Asia Pacific Screen Awards
The Asia Pacific Screen Awards is an international cultural initiative of the State Government of Queensland, Australia, through Events Queensland, to honour and promote the films, actors, directors, and cultures of Asia-Pacific to a global audience and to realise the objectives of UNESCO to...
- 2009 - Achievement in Directing - Love Exposure
Asian Film Awards
Asian Film Awards
The Asian Film Awards are presented annually by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society to recognize excellence of film professionals in the film industries of Asian cinema.-History:...
- 2010 - Best Director - Love Exposure
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
- 2005 - Crystal GlobeCrystal GlobeCrystal Globe is the main award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, first given in the city of Karlovy Vary of the Czech Republic, in 1948.In the international competition of films, IFFKV presents the following awards:...
- Noriko's Dinner Table