Shinji Aoyama

Directing

Shinji Aoyama

Born — Died

1964-07-13 — 2022-03-25

Place of birth

Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan

Known for

Directing

Credits

48 titles

Shinji Aoyama (July 13, 1964 - March 25, 2022) was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, composer, film critic, and novelist. He graduated from Rikkyo University. He won two awards at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival for his film Eureka.

Known for

60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero poster
4.2

An anthology of one-minute films created by 51 international filmmakers on the theme of the death of cinema. Intended as an ode to 35mm, the film was screened one time only on a purpose-built 20x12 meter public cinema screen in the Port of Tallinn, Estonia, on 22 December 2011. A special projector was constructed for the event which allowed the actual filmstrip to be burnt at the same time as the film was shown.

60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero

2011

Backwater poster
6.1

Toma lives in a small riverside town with his brutish father and his father's girlfriend. Witnessing his father's predilections for abuse, Toma becomes anxious that he will have inherited those urges.

Backwater

2013

Eureka poster
7.8

In rural Japan, the survivors of a tragedy converge and attempt to overcome their damaged selves, all while a serial killer is on the loose.

Eureka

2001

BAUS: The Ship's Voyage Continues poster
9.4

Two brothers start working as benshi narrators of silent films in a cinema in the early 20th century. This premise is the jumping-off point for an epic family saga that follows the protagonists and their descendants through wars and technological developments.

BAUS: The Ship's Voyage Continues

2025

Living in the Sky poster
7.4

Following her parents' sudden death, publishing company employee Naomi Kobayakawa moves into a high-rise occupied by those close to her. However, she is still lonely, but one day, she meets popular actor Morinori Tokito, with whom she develops a romance.

Living in the Sky

2020

Tokyo Park poster
6.2

University student and budding photographer Koji is asked by a man to secretly take pictures of his wife Yurika. As a result, his relationships with a girl who visits his workplace and his stepsister Misaki begin to change subtly.

Tokyo Park

2011

Film credits

2000s · 4 titles

Behind the camera

60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero poster
4.2

An anthology of one-minute films created by 51 international filmmakers on the theme of the death of cinema. Intended as an ode to 35mm, the film was screened one time only on a purpose-built 20x12 meter public cinema screen in the Port of Tallinn, Estonia, on 22 December 2011. A special projector was constructed for the event which allowed the actual filmstrip to be burnt at the same time as the film was shown.

60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero

2011

Backwater poster
6.1

Toma lives in a small riverside town with his brutish father and his father's girlfriend. Witnessing his father's predilections for abuse, Toma becomes anxious that he will have inherited those urges.

Backwater

2013

Eureka poster
7.8

In rural Japan, the survivors of a tragedy converge and attempt to overcome their damaged selves, all while a serial killer is on the loose.

Eureka

2001

Eureka poster
7.8

In rural Japan, the survivors of a tragedy converge and attempt to overcome their damaged selves, all while a serial killer is on the loose.

Eureka

2001

BAUS: The Ship's Voyage Continues poster
9.4

Two brothers start working as benshi narrators of silent films in a cinema in the early 20th century. This premise is the jumping-off point for an epic family saga that follows the protagonists and their descendants through wars and technological developments.

BAUS: The Ship's Voyage Continues

2025

Living in the Sky poster
7.4

Following her parents' sudden death, publishing company employee Naomi Kobayakawa moves into a high-rise occupied by those close to her. However, she is still lonely, but one day, she meets popular actor Morinori Tokito, with whom she develops a romance.

Living in the Sky

2020

Living in the Sky poster
7.4

Following her parents' sudden death, publishing company employee Naomi Kobayakawa moves into a high-rise occupied by those close to her. However, she is still lonely, but one day, she meets popular actor Morinori Tokito, with whom she develops a romance.

Living in the Sky

2020

Tokyo Park poster
6.2

University student and budding photographer Koji is asked by a man to secretly take pictures of his wife Yurika. As a result, his relationships with a girl who visits his workplace and his stepsister Misaki begin to change subtly.

Tokyo Park

2011

Tokyo Park poster
6.2

University student and budding photographer Koji is asked by a man to secretly take pictures of his wife Yurika. As a result, his relationships with a girl who visits his workplace and his stepsister Misaki begin to change subtly.

Tokyo Park

2011

Sad Vacation poster
7.0

Abandoned by his mother, Kenji scrapes out a meager existence doing odd jobs, including driving bar hostesses and their customers home. Besides this, he cares for the sister of an incarcerated friend and a young illegal immigrant. Eventually, his life reaches a turning point.

Sad Vacation

2007

Sad Vacation poster
7.0

Abandoned by his mother, Kenji scrapes out a meager existence doing odd jobs, including driving bar hostesses and their customers home. Besides this, he cares for the sister of an incarcerated friend and a young illegal immigrant. Eventually, his life reaches a turning point.

Sad Vacation

2007

The Lakeside Murder Case poster
6.3

Three couples stay at a lakeside cottage with their children. They want them to prepare intensely for a prestigious high school entrance exam with the help of a private tutor. One night, one of the wives confesses to her husband that she has killed his mistress.

The Lakeside Murder Case

2005

The Lakeside Murder Case poster
6.3

Three couples stay at a lakeside cottage with their children. They want them to prepare intensely for a prestigious high school entrance exam with the help of a private tutor. One night, one of the wives confesses to her husband that she has killed his mistress.

The Lakeside Murder Case

2005

Crickets poster
7.0

Kaoru, a wealthy woman whose youth is fading, abandons the hustle and bustle of the city to live peacefully in a home on the coast. There, she takes care of an old deaf, dumb and blind man as if he were an insect, a child or a pet. He can’t do anything for himself, so she feeds him and accompanies him on his walks. This strong mutual dependency offers Kaoru an escape from society and allows her to free herself from restrictions imposed by common sense.

Crickets

2006

A Weapon in My Heart poster
7.0

A detective and his partner track down a call girl with information about a drug cartel. After taking her into custody, they are attacked by cartel members. The detective and the woman manage to escape, but they are soon hounded by a professional hitman hired to eliminate them and recover the heroin stolen by the woman.

A Weapon in My Heart

1996

A Weapon in My Heart poster
7.0

A detective and his partner track down a call girl with information about a drug cartel. After taking her into custody, they are attacked by cartel members. The detective and the woman manage to escape, but they are soon hounded by a professional hitman hired to eliminate them and recover the heroin stolen by the woman.

A Weapon in My Heart

1996

Wild Life poster
8.0

An ex-boxer working for a game parlor owner gets caught up in a complex blackmail operation he doesn't understand. Before long he's caught between two yakuza bosses and a mysterious thief who motivation is unknown. Add in the boss' daughter who has a crush on him and watch him struggle to make sense of it all and come out alive.

Wild Life

1997

Wild Life poster
8.0

An ex-boxer working for a game parlor owner gets caught up in a complex blackmail operation he doesn't understand. Before long he's caught between two yakuza bosses and a mysterious thief who motivation is unknown. Add in the boss' daughter who has a crush on him and watch him struggle to make sense of it all and come out alive.

Wild Life

1997

The Dream of Garuda poster
4.7

A convicted rapist, Ikuo is released from prison and goes in pursuit of the woman he raped, Mieko. So obsessed is he with revenge he sees her in every woman he meets. After carrying out vicious attacks on a prostitute and a young girl he finally comes face to face with her.

The Dream of Garuda

1994

Desert Moon poster
6.1

A successful businessman and his alcoholic wife attempt to piece together their unhappy lives and shattered marriage. Little do Nagai and Akira know that their precarious relationship will soon be transformed by a stranger, the enigmatic Keechie.

Desert Moon

2001

Desert Moon poster
6.1

A successful businessman and his alcoholic wife attempt to piece together their unhappy lives and shattered marriage. Little do Nagai and Akira know that their precarious relationship will soon be transformed by a stranger, the enigmatic Keechie.

Desert Moon

2001

Embalming poster
4.7

Miyako, a young female embalmer, is called to restore the body of a recent suicide. While performing her duties, she pricks herself on a needle buried deep within the boy’s flesh. When the head is stolen during the night, Miyako begins a desperate search to recover it and finish her work, encountering organ harvesting, religious cults, and dark secrets from her own past along the way.

Embalming

1999

Embalming poster
4.7

Miyako, a young female embalmer, is called to restore the body of a recent suicide. While performing her duties, she pricks herself on a needle buried deep within the boy’s flesh. When the head is stolen during the night, Miyako begins a desperate search to recover it and finish her work, encountering organ harvesting, religious cults, and dark secrets from her own past along the way.

Embalming

1999

AA poster
4.6

"AA" is a documentary about Akira Aida (mostly known as Aquirax Aida), a japanese music critic who introduced free jazz, improvisation, and progressive rock to Japan. It's based on interviews with 12 critics and musicians who had connections with him. This is a documentary that considers the past, present and future of improvisation.

AA

2006

Two Punks poster
6.2

A young drifter is casually drawn into violence – a crime drama about a boy and a man equally ill-equipped for criminal life and straight society. Neither wants to be a Yakuza, but normal life presents problems.

Two Punks

1996

Helpless poster
6.4

Believing his boss double-crossed him, recently released gangster Yasuo is on his way to find the betrayer, but before setting out, he asks Kenji to care for his mentally challenged sister and a mysterious black bag.

Helpless

1996

Helpless poster
6.4

Believing his boss double-crossed him, recently released gangster Yasuo is on his way to find the betrayer, but before setting out, he asks Kenji to care for his mentally challenged sister and a mysterious black bag.

Helpless

1996

Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name poster
5.5

A private detective takes on an assignment to return a girl, who is set to marry into a prestigious family, from a mysterious commune in the forest.

Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name

2003

Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name poster
5.5

A private detective takes on an assignment to return a girl, who is set to marry into a prestigious family, from a mysterious commune in the forest.

Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name

2003

My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me? poster
7.4

A.D. 2015: A virus spreads in many cities globally, a suicidal disease infected by pictures. Once infected, the diseased will soon meet death. They have no way of fighting back, filled with fear and despair. The media calls it the 'Lemming Syndrome'.

My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?

2005

My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me? poster
7.4

A.D. 2015: A virus spreads in many cities globally, a suicidal disease infected by pictures. Once infected, the diseased will soon meet death. They have no way of fighting back, filled with fear and despair. The media calls it the 'Lemming Syndrome'.

My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?

2005

The Detective Who Can Say No poster
NR

Shinji Aoyama’s short film follows an unlikely pair of detectives—played by Susumu Terajima and filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa—as they navigate a quirky case with deadpan seriousness. Mixing parody with genre tropes, the film riffs on the idea of “The Detective Who Can Say No,” echoing the satirical spirit of its title while playfully undermining the conventions of Japanese cop dramas. Made for the omnibus film "Deka Matsuri"

The Detective Who Can Say No

2003

Haruneko poster
NR

Those who want to die seek refuge in a mysterious café in this feverishly strange Japanese debut.

Haruneko

2016

An Obsession poster
6.6

Police detective Sosuke is shot down while chasing a suspect. While unconscious, his gun is stolen. He recovers, but loses his wife and resigns from the force. All of a sudden, his missing firearm is used in a series of crimes.

An Obsession

1997

An Obsession poster
6.6

Police detective Sosuke is shot down while chasing a suspect. While unconscious, his gun is stolen. He recovers, but loses his wife and resigns from the force. All of a sudden, his missing firearm is used in a series of crimes.

An Obsession

1997

Goldfish Princess poster
NR

One day, Ezawa Jun, who has trouble with work and in love, gets a ryukin from a goldfish scooping game at a festival. However, she is actually a beautiful girl and she suddenly turns into a human form and appears in front of Jun. Called Ryu, she is looking for the legendary black ranchu and asks Jun for his help. The two strangers begin living together and growing closer. Their fate goes in an unexpected direction.

Goldfish Princess

2020

Broken Hearts for Sale poster
NR

An omnibus recorded in a short film by five film directors with the motif of the song "Kai Band".

Broken Hearts for Sale

2015

Deka Matsuri poster
NR

12-part omnibus made under the rules: "the main character is a detective" "at least one gag per minute" "the length must not exceed 10 minutes"

Deka Matsuri

2003

To the Backstreet: The Films Kenji Nakagami Left Out poster
10.0

Kenji Nakagami, one of the most notable Japanese writers of the post-war, died in 1992. His work reveals a strong connection to his homeland, Kishu: a mountainous region that connects to the Pacific Ocean through a river. "To The Alley" (alternative title) is a documentary about Kenji's life. Incorporating 16 mm images from the writer's personal archive and adding new footage, director Shinji Aoyama travels through the paths of the life and art of the Japanese writer.

To the Backstreet: The Films Kenji Nakagami Left Out

2001

To the Backstreet: The Films Kenji Nakagami Left Out poster
10.0

Kenji Nakagami, one of the most notable Japanese writers of the post-war, died in 1992. His work reveals a strong connection to his homeland, Kishu: a mountainous region that connects to the Pacific Ocean through a river. "To The Alley" (alternative title) is a documentary about Kenji's life. Incorporating 16 mm images from the writer's personal archive and adding new footage, director Shinji Aoyama travels through the paths of the life and art of the Japanese writer.

To the Backstreet: The Films Kenji Nakagami Left Out

2001