Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 17, 2026

Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Ryusuke Hamaguchi is a Japanese filmmaker. An alumnus of the University of Tokyo and Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, he first gained international recognition for Happy Hour (2015), Asako I & II (2018) and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (2021), which premiered at the main competitions of Locarno, Cannes and Berlin respectively.

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Ryusuke Hamaguchi
濱口 竜介
Hamaguchi in 2018.
Born (1978-12-16) 16 December 1978
Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
Years active2001–present
Japanese name
RomanizationHamaguchi Ryūsuke
Signature

Ryusuke Hamaguchi (濱口 竜介, Hamaguchi Ryūsuke; [hamaꜜɡɯtɕi ɾʲɯꜜːsɯ̥ke] ⓘ; born 16 December 1978) is a Japanese filmmaker. An alumnus of the University of Tokyo and Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, he first gained international recognition for Happy Hour (2015), Asako I & II (2018) and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (2021), which premiered at the main competitions of Locarno, Cannes and Berlin respectively.

For Drive My Car (2021), Hamaguchi was nominated at the 94th Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, the film was the first Japanese production to be nominated for Best Picture, and won Best International Feature Film.1 He followed with Evil Does Not Exist (2023), which also received widespread critical acclaim winning the Grand Jury Prize at Venice.

Career

2000s

After graduating from the University of Tokyo, Hamaguchi worked in the commercial film industry for a few years before entering the graduate program in film at Tokyo University of the Arts where he studied with and was influenced by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.2

In 2007, he directed Solaris, an unauthorized version of Stanisław Lem's novel of same name, during his first year as a graduation student at the Tokyo University of the Arts, the film had a considerable budget for a graduation project, ¥‎4 million. Since the production failed to gain the novel rights, the resulting 90-minute was never released.3

His second graduation film, Passion (2008) was selected for the competition of the Tokyo Filmex.456

2010s

Alongside Kō Sakai, Hamaguchi directed a three-part documentary about survivors of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Voices from the Waves was selected for the competition at the 2013 Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival.7 The duo also directed Storytellers, which won the Sky Perfect IDEHA Prize.8

His 5-hour-long drama film Happy Hour (2015), marked his first film selected to a major western film festival, premiered at the Golden Leopard competition of the 2015 Locarno Film Festival and won the Best Actress award for its four lead actresses alongside a Special Mention for its script.9 It was also given the Special Jury award at the 2016 Japan Movie Critic Awards,10 and the Best Newcomer award of the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Geijutsu Sensho Awards that year.11 Hamaguchi first developed the screenplay while he was an artist in residence at KIITO Design and Creative Center Kobe in 2013.12 It came out of an improvisational acting workshop he held for non-professionals, with many of the film's performers having participated in the workshop.13

He followed with Asako I & II (2018), which marked his first entry at the Cannes Film Festival, directly into the main competition for the Palme d'Or.14 Based on the 2010 novel by Tomoka Shibasaki, it follows a woman who falls in love with two men who look the same but act completely differently. It received positive reviews, establishing his career in the west.

His anthology film Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (2021), delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, was selected to the main competition of the 71st Berlin International Film Festival where it won Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (2nd place). It received critical acclaim.

Drive My Car (also 2021), premiered at the main competition of the 74th Cannes Film Festival where it won the Best Screenplay award. It also received critical acclaim, winning numerous awards, including: Best Picture prizes from the New York Film Critics Circle, Boston Society of Film Critics, and Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Non-English Language Film. At the 94th Academy Awards, the film won Best International Feature Film and Hamaguchi was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director, for the latter he became the third Japanese director nominated.

His Evil Does Not Exist (2023), premiered at the main competition of the 80th Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize (2nd place).15 The film received critical acclaim. That same year, he released the short film Gift, which uses the same footage as Evil Does Not Exist (though with a different story) and is accompanied by a live score by Eiko Ishibashi.16

His French language debut All of a Sudden (2026), had its world premiere at the main competition of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, where its stars Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto won the Best Actress prize.17 It received critical acclaim.

Influences and style

Hamaguchi has referred to himself as "purely a cinephile" and "conventionally in love with Hollywood films." He has been influenced by the works of John Cassavetes.18

In April 2024, he listed his 50 favorite films for LaCinetek.19 His selection explores various cinema genres and periods, including works from directors such as Robert Bresson, Clint Eastwood, Howard Hawks, Edward Yang, Kenji Mizoguchi and Robert Zemeckis.

Quotes

  • "To some extent, all films are fiction and documentary at the same time. I have experienced to make both, and I believe there is no such thing as pure fiction or pure documentary."20
  • "The actor is acting in front of the camera. What the camera captures there is a documentary about the actors, because they're doing something which happens only once."20
  • (On the multilingual staging in Drive My Car) "In a multilingual staging, of course, they're not understanding the meaning of the words. Instead, the body language and the voice tones is what becomes more important to convey those feelings or the emotional state of the respective actors. It becomes easier to focus and react. That's a nice way I look at it to get a more simple and strong performance."21
  • (On the ending of Drive My Car) "Once I talked with a big fan of Drive My Car who said that it really would have been perfect without that ending. (Laugh) Well, I think maybe the reason I ended that way is to make it a bit imperfect." "In terms of the final staging of the play in applause, if I had ended the movie at that point, presumably the audience would want to do a round of applause, and it would almost be like closing of a full circle. But for me that didn't really feel like a satisfying ending. I wanted to do something a bit more disruptive, to leave some sort of break."21
  • (On the ending of Drive My Car) "I have no any plans of making a sequel, but I was just sort of playing around with things at the end there. One other thing I'd like to say is that the title itself also might give a clue to how you can interpret the ending."21

Personal life

Political views

In December 2023, alongside 50 other filmmakers, Hamaguchi signed an open letter published in Libération demanding a ceasefire and an end to the killing of civilians amid the 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, and for a humanitarian corridor into Gaza to be established for humanitarian aid, and the release of hostages.222324

Filmography

Feature films

Year English title Original title Notes
2003 Like Nothing Happened 何食わぬ顔
2007 Solaris
2008 Passion Graduation work at Tokyo University of the Arts25
2010 The Depths 심도 Co-written with Kôta Ôura; Korean-language debut
2013 Intimacies 親密さ 26
2015 Happy Hour ハッピーアワー Co-written with Tadashi Nohara and Tomoyuki Takahashi
2018 Asako I & II 寝ても覚めても Co-written with Sachiko Tanaka
2021 Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy 偶然と想像
Drive My Car ドライブ・マイ・カー Co-written with Takamasa Oe
2023 Evil Does Not Exist 悪は存在しない
2026 All of a Sudden 急に具合が悪くなる Co-written with Léa Le Dimna; French-language debut27

Only writer

Year English title Original title Notes
2020 Wife of a Spy スパイの妻 Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Documentaries

Year English title Original title Notes
2011 The Sound of the Waves28 東北記録映画三部作　なみのおと Co-directed by Kō Sakai
2013 Voices from the Waves - Kesennuma29 東北記録映画三部作　なみのこえ　気仙沼
Voices from the Waves - Shinchi-machi30 東北記録映画三部作　なみのこえ　新地町
Storytellers3132 東北記録映画三部作　うたうひと

Short films

Year English Title Original title Notes
2001 Go to the Movies 映画を見に行く
2003 Like Nothing Happened33 何食わぬ顔
2005 The Beginning はじまり
Friend of the Night
2006 Scent of Memory 記憶の香り
Attack 遊撃
2009 I Love Thee For Good34 永遠に君を愛す
2013 Touching the Skin of Eeriness35 不気味なものの肌に触れる
2016 Heaven Is Still Far Away36 天国はまだ遠い
2023 Gift ギフト Created to accompany Eiko Ishibashi's new album

Awards

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref
2015 Nantes Three Continents Festival Le prix du public Happy Hour Won 37
2021 Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy Won 38
Cannes Film Festival Best Screenplay Drive My Car Won 39
FIPRESCI Prize Won
Prize of the Ecumenical Jury Won
New York Film Critics Circle Best Picture Won 40
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best International / Foreign Language Film Won 41
Boston Society of Film Critics Best Film Won 42
Best Director Won
Best Screenplay Won
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Picture Won 43
Best Screenplay Won
2022 Academy Awards Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated
Best Director Nominated
Best International Feature Film Accepted
National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Film Won 4445
Best Director Won
Best Screenplay Won
2023 Asian Film Awards Best Director Nominated 46
Venice International Film Festival Golden Lion Evil Does Not Exist Nominated
Grand Jury Prize Won
See also

See also

References

References

  1. Tartaglione, Nancy (8 February 2022). "Oscars: 'Drive My Car' Makes History As First Japanese Film Nominated For Best Picture". Deadline. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  2. 里信, 邦子 (20 August 2015). "「ハッピーアワー」の濱口監督、「人は本当に思っていることが言えない」". SWI swissinfo (in Japanese). Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  3. Rizov, Vadim (22 May 2019). ""My First Studio, Commercially Made Film": Ryūsuke Hamaguchi on Solaris, Asako I & II and Japanese Film School". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  4. "『Passion』濱口竜介（監督）インタビュー". Eiga Geijutsu (in Japanese). Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  5. "Tokyo FILMeX Competition". TOKYO FILMeX 2008. Tokyo FILMeX. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  6. "映画に寄せるたおやかなパッション──濱口竜介監督インタヴュー". Flower Wild. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  7. "YIDFF: Past Festivals: 2013: Screening List". Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  8. "YIDFF: Past Festivals: 2013". Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  9. "Palmarès 2015". pardo.ch. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  10. "Dai 25-kai Jusho Sakuhin". 日本映画批評家大賞 公式サイト. Japan Movie Critics Award. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  11. "Geijutsu Senshō Rekidai Jushōsha Ichiran" (PDF). Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  12. "濱口竜介監督作品『ハッピーアワー』ロカルノ国際映画祭にて最優秀女優賞受賞／脚本スペシャルメンション授与 KIITO". KIITO (in Japanese). Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  13. Sullivan, Dan. "Review: Happy Hour, Ryusuke Hamaguchi". Film Comment. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  14. "Cannes Lineup Includes New Films From Spike Lee, Jean-Luc Godard". Variety. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  15. Lodge, Guy (9 September 2023). "Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone's 'Poor Things' Wins Golden Lion at Venice, Peter Sarsgaard and Cailee Spaeny Take Acting Prizes (Full List of Winners)". Variety. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  16. Newman, Nick (25 July 2023). "Ryūsuke Hamaguchi Will Debut His Second New Film of 2023, Gift, with a Live Score from Eiko Ishibashi This October". Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  17. "Cannes unveils 2026 Official Selection". Screen. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  18. Rizov, Vadim (22 May 2019). ""My First Studio, Commercially Made Film": Ryūsuke Hamaguchi on Solaris, Asako I & II and Japanese Film School". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  19. "Ryūsuke Hamaguchi's list". LaCinetek. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  20. The Nikkei [*Japan's economic newspaper] (10 October 2021)
  21. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi on Drive My Car | NYFF59, 30 November 2021, retrieved 17 January 2022
  22. "Gaza : des cinéastes du monde entier demandent un cessez-le-feu immédiat". Libération (in French). 28 December 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  23. Newman, Nick (29 December 2023). "Claire Denis, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Christian Petzold, Apichatpong Weerasethakul & More Sign Demand for Ceasefire in Gaza". The Film Stage. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  24. "Directors of cinema sign petition for immediate ceasefire". The Jerusalem Post. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  25. Japan Society Film | Passion, retrieved 30 December 2021
  26. "Intimacies | Metrograph". nyc.metrograph.com. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  27. "急に具合が悪くなる". eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  28. "The Sound of the Waves | YIDFF 311 Documentary Film Archive" (in Japanese). Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  29. "YIDFF: 2013: International Competition". www.yidff.jp. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  30. "Voices from the Waves Shinchimachi | YIDFF 311 Documentary Film Archive" (in Japanese). Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  31. "Storytellers | YIDFF 311 Documentary Film Archive" (in Japanese). Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  32. "Storytellers | Metrograph". nyc.metrograph.com. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  33. Like Nothing Happened (short version), retrieved 30 December 2021
  34. I Love Thee For Good, retrieved 30 December 2021
  35. Japan Society Film | Touching the Skin of Eeriness, retrieved 30 December 2021
  36. Japan Society Film | Heaven Is Still Far Away, retrieved 30 December 2021
  37. "Senses". Festival des 3 Continents. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  38. "Awards & Honours 2021". www.berlinale.de. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  39. "All the 74th Festival de Cannes Awards". Festival de Cannes 2021. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  40. "Awards - New York Film Critics Circle - NYFCC". Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  41. "2021 WAFCA Award Winners - The Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA)". www.wafca.com. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  42. "Current Winners – 2021 Awards". Boston Society of Film Critics. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  43. www.adam-makes-websites.com, Adam Jones-. "Awards - LAFCA". www.lafca.net. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  44. "National Society of Film Critics". National Society of Film Critics. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  45. White, Abbey (8 January 2022). "National Society of Film Critics 2022 Winners List". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  46. Ntim, Zac (6 January 2023). "Asian Film Awards: Decision to Leave And Drive My Car Lead Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
External links