- Born
- Japanese director/writer/actor whose often kinetic, cyberpunk style is much imitated. He expressed appreciation over the similarity of the international hit German film "Run Lola Run" (1998) to his first film as a director/writer, "Dangan Runner" (1996). When asked at the Chicago International Film Festival to recommend a film school, the black leather-jacketed Tanaka replied (via translator) "I've written and directed 5 award-winning movies and I didn't go to film school - so you shouldn't have to either !" At international film festivals, enjoys having his picture taken with audience members.
Acted in at least 5 films, before his first as director/writer. Acted in 1 movie each by cult auteurs Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Pulse (2001), aka Pulse) and Takashi Miike (Dead or Alive trilogy, Ishi the Killer). Has mostly used his birth name Hiroyuki Tanaka as an actor, often portraying cold-blooded gangsters, while mostly uses the name Sabu as director/writer.
His own films often involve yakuza and black comedy, but recent films are more stylistically diverse. Also wrote and directed "A1012K," a short science-fiction film (2002), about a robot gone berserk in a shopping mall. Older members of Japanese superstar pop/boy band V6 have appeared in several of Tanaka's movies.
- IMDb mini biography by: David Stevens
- Frequently casts Susumu Terajima and Shin'ichi Tsutsumi in his films.
- Member of the 'Official Competition' jury at the 20th Shanghai International Film Festival in 2017.
- [on Chasuke's Journey (2015)] With regard to shopping arcades, it's a frequent feature a lot of my work. It's a space that I love. Especially this shopping arcade in Okinawa was very specific and unique, because it has all these great narrow alleyways and old buildings, so it was great to capture that.[2015]
- So, the truth is, I've made so many films, but I still don't consider myself a filmmaker. I didn't have a particular desire to be a filmmaker in the beginning, so I still lack the confidence, to tell you the truth. I think it really helped that I worked for over 10 years as an actor, so I knew how the crew was supposed to function, and I understood how the set operates, and I had a sense of that. I also like to create stories, and that helped, as well. I was also in a band and so was interested in music, so I knew how to incorporate score, for instance. I also studied at the Osaka fashion school, so I had a sense of how art, fashion and wardrobe were supposed to work, as well. And it just all comes down to watching a lot of movies: There a lot of movies that became a model for me, so that's how I learned.[2015]
- Of course, there were a lot of masterpieces in the world, and I'm sure a lot of people have these preconceived notions about what a film is supposed to be, but I've been making my films by breaking down those preconceived notions, to try to create something that was newer and freer. I would advise the same for your readers; forgo preconceived notions and try to be more free and try to create something that's new.[2015]
- I'm a grown man, so I have to be, to a certain degree, serious; but I do value the importance of entertainment and I want to make sure that the audience has fun.[2015]
- [on Chasuke's Journey (2015)] This film actually originated with an entirely different story that I had in mind, and that story also had a yakuza as the protagonist. He gets into an accident and he's about to die, and that's when he gets the special power to heal people, and for the first time in his entire life, he learns what it feels like to make people happy, and he becomes addicted to this feeling. He learns what it feels like. So that was the story that I had in mind, and that was the character of Chasuke.[2015]
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