Seijiro Koyama

Director

July 16, 1941 (84 years)

Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan

Biography

Born in Gifu Prefecture, Koyama attended Nihon University but quit midway to join the independent production company Kindai Eiga Kyokai, where he worked as an assistant director under such directors as Kaneto Shindō, Kozaburo Yoshimura, and Tadashi Imai. He made his directorial debut in 1971 with thechildren's film Koi no iru mura. His second film, Futatsu no hāmonika (1976), earned him a New Directors Citation from the Directors Guild of Japan. His 1983 film Hometown was entered into the 13th M…

Filmography

7.8

Hachiko

The tragic, true story about Hachikō, an Akita dog who was loyal to his master, Professor Ueno, even after Ueno's death.

6.6

Mount Hakkoda

Two infantry regiments of the Imperial Japanese Army—210 men overall—tackled Mt. Hakkoda in the winter of 1902 to prepare for war with Russia.

10.0

Himeyuri no To

The Girls' Division of Okinawa Normal School and the First Okinawa Prefectural High School for Girls were also known as "Himeyuri no Gakuen". In July 1944, the students, who were supposed to spend their summer vacations at home, were called back to school to prepare for the coming war and to fulfill their duties as subjects of the Imperial State. The fate of the girls and teachers awaited them as the American army attacked.

7.0

Fifth Movement

When a broadcasting company takes away its financial support from a symphony orchestra, some of the members refuse to admit defeat. The first violinist returns to his home and manages to get the orchestra back together for a grandiose performance, saved at the last minute by their original conductor -- and boding well for the future of the die-hard musicians.

8.0

The Life and Love of Kenji Miyazawa

A biographical drama depicting the life full of love and suffering of the writer and poet Kenji Miyazawa, who celebrated his 100th birthday in 1996.

10.0

Faraway Sunset

Faraway Sunset tells the story of the famed bacteriologist who is known to have discovered the agent that cause syphilis, and for his relentless search for a cure to yellow fever. As a toddler, his mother's neglect had caused an accident to his left hand, fusing together all the fingers in a bizarre twist of fate. Naturally extremely remorseful for being the cause of her son's handicap, she does everything she could to ensure that he gets to lead a normal life, despite having to fend off bullies and unfair prejudices.

9.0

Summer of the Moonlight Sonata

Two soon-to-be kamikaze pilots stop by a local school near their base to play the piano one last time, leaving a deep impression on a teacher. Years later, she seeks out the relatives of the pilots when the piano is old and about to be discarded.

8.0

Thousand Cranes

April 1954. 12 year old schoolgirl Sadako thinks her main problem is being unable to pass the baton in relay races. But just as her team starts winning, she starts getting tired more easily. She is sent back to the American Base Victory Hospital, where the diagnosis is lymphatic leukemia. And she has no more than a year left to live. Her parents agree with the doctor that Sadako should not be told, but will she find out anyway ?

7.5

A Single Drop of Water in a Mighty River

The story opens with Yukiko and her business partner in Moscow searching for Russian items for their store in Tokyo. There they meet a Russian translator, Nicholai, played by Sergei Nakariakov - a trumpeter from Russia. Some months later after they have returned, Nicholai and Yukiko meet again while he is auditioning for the Tokyo orchestra where seeds of romance begin. Yukiko's father, however, is diagnosed with a terminal case of cancer. Yukiko returns home to be with him in his final months as he decides not to go through therapy and let the disease run its course. Coming into contact with a childhood friend while at home Yukiko is left to choose between her old friend and Nicholai, all while having to face the emotional struggle of dealing with her father's impending death.

7.0

Mitabi no kaikyô

No description available

N/A

Sakura

The story of a bus conductor who dedicates his life to the cherished Japanese symbol.

N/A

Until the Day Comes

Drama depicting the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that occurred on March 11, 2011 from the perspective of a female doctor. Takako Kawashima works as head anesthesiologist at the Sendai Medical Center. She balances her married life with help from her husband Teiichi, who runs a private clinic, but their lives are upturned by the disaster.

N/A

Kusa no ran

This is a true story about the "Chichibu Incident," which is said to be the only revolution in Japan.

7.0

Heat Wave Island

Nobuko Otowa plays a former Seto Inland Sea island farmer who has moved to the mainland in order to find work, but instead ends up dead. The film begins with the discovery of her corpse, which leads to an investigation that uncovers the narcotics, prostitution, and murder in which many poor farmers had found themselves trapped after World War II.

9.0

Hometown

Deep in the mountains of Japan a dam is scheduled to be built, thus forcing a relocation of the farmers. One of them is 78-year-old Denzo, whose son and his wife consider him senile. Left alone, he befriends a young boy, Sentaro, who has heard that the old man was once a great angler. The unlikely pair spend lots of happy time together, until Denzo has a heart attack and dies far upstream. The dam is completed and the entire area is inundated. Everyone will move away, except Denzo.

N/A

Tomorrow Evening

Ayako is a 7-year-old girl with a dark, tanned face and a somewhat mysterious expression on her face. She shows up at the elementary school and acts strangely, but the children don't know her name and just call her "that girl". There are two groups of children at the elementary school, and the conflict between the groups intensifies...

N/A

Two Harmonicas

In 1945, a boy evacuated to Miyagi Prefecture befriends a local child, and the two begin to play harmonica near the local military base. Then, one day, they hear a soldier playing harmonica from inside the base, and begin to form a bond with him.

N/A

Isewan Taifuu Monogatari

Animated film about Typhoon Vera (known in Japan as Isewan Typhoon).

8.0

Don't Mind

Set in downtown Tokyo, it depicts the activities of a weak youth baseball team, the Chidori Boys, and the ordinary people who live there.

N/A

Maya no Isshou

No description available