Shinji AOYAMA

AOYAMA Shinji , Director
Born in 1964, Fukuoka prefecture Kitakyusyu-shi.

While at high school, he formed a band called “Up Beat Underground” and spent day and night in playing music. At Rikkyo University, he attended HASUMI Sigehiko’s film criticism classes and made eight 8mm films in 5 years. After completing his college studies, he began work in the film industry as a prop assistant. He later became an assistant director on several projects including KUROSAWA Kiyoshi’s “Guard from the Underground”(92). He also worked as an assistant director for Fredrik Thor Fridriksson’s “Cold Fever” (95), Daniel Schmid’s “The written face”(96). While continuing his career as an assistant director, Aoyama also contributed as a writer/critic to such publications as Cahiers de Cinema Japon and Esquire Japan and during one of the interviews, he got acquainted with Producer SENTO Takenori. Aoyama made his directorial debut in 1995 with straight-to-video project titled “Kyokasho Ni Nai(It Is Not In The Textbook)”. In the same year, Aoyama directed his first theatrical feature “HELPLESS” in J¿Movie¿Wars 3 produced by SENTO Takenori and it was theatrically distributed in the following year and won the Grand Prix at the 1996 Japan Film Industry Professional Awards. The same film played extensively on the international film festival circuit, including Toronto, Vienna, and Torino festival. Aoyama has continued to create films at an untiring pace : “Chimpira ( Two Punks )”(96), “Wild Life” (97), “Tsumetai Chi ( An obsession )” (97), and “Shady Grove”(99).
In 2000, the re-union with SENTO Takenori gave birth to “Eureka”, which was premiered at the Cannes international Film Festival and won Fipresci and Ecumenical Jury Awards. The same film has been invited to many international film festivals and won the Age d'Or prize at BELGIAN ROYAL FILM ARCHIVE. In 2001, “Desert Moon” premiered in competition in Cannes International Film Festival. In 2002, “Forest With No Name” invited in Young