Shinji Higuchi

Shinji Higuchi
樋口 真嗣
Higuchi stands next to a poster of his 2016 film Shin Godzilla. He wears a T-Shirt emblazoned with the text "Greetings from Monster Island", featuring an illustration of Megalon, Gigan, Godzilla, and Jet Jaguar posing in the 1973 film Godzilla vs. Megalon.
Higuchi in 2016
Born (1965-09-22) September 22, 1965 (age 59)
Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
NationalityJapanese
Occupations
  • Film director
  • special effects director
  • screenwriter
  • storyboard artist
Years active1984–present
Notable work

Shinji Higuchi (Japanese: 樋口 真嗣, Hepburn: Higuchi Shinji, born September 22, 1965) is a Japanese filmmaker. Known for his tokusatsu blockbusters, Higuchi is considered one of Japan's leading filmmakers of the 21st century.[1][2][3]

Higuchi became known for his work on Gamera: Guardian of the Universe, for which he won the Special Technology Award at the 19th Japan Academy Film Prize. In 2005, he made his feature directorial debut on Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean. His second feature film, Sinking of Japan (2006), was second place at the Bunshun Kiichigo Awards. His 2015 live-action two-part film adaptation of Hajime Isayama's manga series, Attack on Titan, won the Excellence in Theatrical Live Action Film award at the 2016 VFX-JAPAN Awards.[4] In 2017, Higuchi and Hideaki Anno won the Director of the Year award at the 40th Japan Academy Film Prize for their work on the 2016 kaiju film Shin Godzilla. His 2022 film, Shin Ultraman, was a major success in Japan,[5] and has received generally positive reviews from critics internationally.[6]

  1. ^ "庵野秀明企画・脚本『シン・ウルトラマン』が日本公開中。半世紀愛されるシリーズの新作" [Shin Ultraman planned and written by Hideaki Anno is now open in Japan. New work from a series beloved for half a century]. JFF+ (in Japanese). Japan Foundation. June 30, 2022. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  2. ^ "【独占】樋口真嗣監督に聞く、庵野秀明氏とシン・ウルトラマンで目指す「断絶の解消」" [(Exclusive) Interview with Director Shinji Higuchi: 'Elimination of discontinuity' for Shin Ultraman with Hideaki Anno]. Business + IT (in Japanese). p. 1. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  3. ^ "【樋口真嗣監督インタビュー】特撮映画の牽引者は、『シン・ウルトラマン』でなにを描くのか？" [(Interview with director Shinji Higuchi) What will the tokusatsu film leader draw in Shin Ultraman?]. Pen Online (in Japanese). May 13, 2022. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  4. ^ Inc, Natasha. "CGとVFXの祭典、VFX-JAPANアワードで「バクマン。」が実写映画部門の頂点に". 映画ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved August 4, 2022. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ "Fantasia Festival | Shin Ultraman". Fantasia Festival. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  6. ^ "Shin Ultraman". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.