The Tokyo International Film Festival has revealed that veteran Japanese director Yamada Yoji will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at its 38th edition, recognizing a career spanning more than 60 years and 91 films.
Yamada’s latest work, “Tokyo Taxi,” starring Baisho Chieko and Kimura Takuya, based on the 2023 French film “Driving Madeleine,” will screen as this year’s TIFF Centerpiece and receive theatrical release on Nov. 21. The director will also participate in a talk session with “Kokuho” director Lee Sang-il at the TIFF Lounge.
As previously announced, legendary Japanese actor Yoshinaga Sayuri will also be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Since his 1961 directorial debut with “Nikai no tanin,” Yamada has created films deeply rooted in Japanese culture and everyday life. His most celebrated work remains the “Tora-san” series (“Tora-san, Our Lovable Tramp”), which ran to 50 films beginning in 1969 and earned Guinness World Records recognition.
The director shifted to period films in the 2000s with significant international success. “The Twilight Samurai” (2002) swept 15 categories at the Japan Academy Film Prizes and earned an Oscar nomination for best foreign language film, as the category was known then. “The Hidden Blade” (2004) competed at Berlin and won top honors at the Zimbabwe International Film Festival, while “The Little House” (2014) took home the Silver Bear at the Berlinale.
Yamada’s recent work includes “Tora-san, Wish You Were Here” (2019), which marked the series’ 50th anniversary, followed by “It’s A Flickering Life” (2021) and “Mom, Is That You?!” (2023).
“Yamada Yoji has long observed the realities of Japanese society with a discerning yet compassionate eye, crystallizing them into numerous cinematic masterpieces over the decades,” said TIFF chair Ando Hiroyasu in a statement. He noted Yamada’s support of the festival since its inception and his recent service as chair of the Kurosawa Akira Award Jury.
The director’s honors include Japan’s Order of Culture (2012), recognition as a Person of Cultural Merit (2004), and designation as an Honorary Citizen of Tokyo (2014).
The 38th Tokyo International Film Festival runs Oct. 27-Nov. 5 in the Hibiya-Yurakucho-Marunouchi-Ginza area.
