Sion Sono

Sion Sono is a well-received author, poet, and filmmaker, most famous for his film Love Exposure (released in 2008). The man is among the greatest Japanese filmmakers of all time, being referred to as "among the most subversive filmmakers still working in the Japanese theaters". Some even call him "a Stakhanovite director" with idiosyncratic professions.

After he received a PIA-collaborated fellowship, Sion Sono produced his very first feature-length movie around 1990, called Jitensha Toiki (or Bicycle Sighs in English), which is a coming-of-age movie about the perfectionist Japan and the underachievers living in such a society. It's reported that he directed, co-wrote, and participated in that movie.

Then he returned to Japan, where he directed and wrote his second film, Heya (or The Room), a bizarre story about a killer who is finding a place to live in the doomed and bleak Tokyo district. It was released at Sundance Festival and also toured more than 50 festivals around the world, including famous festivals such as Rotterdam and Berlin Film Festivals.

A few years from then, he continued to direct successful works like "I am Keiko (1998), Utsushimi (2000), as well as a pink movie "Teacher of Sexual Plays: Modeling Vessel with Female Body" (released in 2000 also).

Born: 1961

Notable works: Love Exposure, Cold Fish