Hikari (director)

Japanese film director

Hikari

Born|

Mitsuyo Miyazaki

1977 (age 47–48)

Osaka, Japan

Alma mater| University of Southern California
Occupations|

* Film director
* film producer
* screenwriter

Years active| 2011–present

Mitsuyo Miyazaki, known as Hikari, is a Japanese writer, director and producer of film and television. She is best known for directing the film 37 seconds, and three episodes of the Netflix series Beef.

## Early life

[edit]

Originally from Osaka, Japan, Hikari moved to the United States at 17 years old to be a foreign exchange student in Utah. She then graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Theater Arts, Dance and Fine Arts from Southern Utah University in 1999,[1] and in 2015 was honored with the school's Outstanding Alumnus Award.[2] She moved to Los Angeles after graduating, and worked as an actor for several years. She graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Film and TV Production from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2011.[3]

## Career

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### Film

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Hikari released her first short film, Tsuyako, in 2011. The film was shown at 100 film festivals worldwide, receiving 50 awards including Best Short Film and Best Screenplay.[4] It was followed by A Better Tomorrow, which premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and Where We Begin, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2015.[4] In 2019 she premiered her feature-film debut 37 Seconds to critical acclaim at the Berlin International Film Festival.[5][6][7]

In July 2020, author Rainbow Rowell announced on her Twitter that the film adaptation of her book Eleanor & Park would be directed by Hikari.[8]

In March 2024, Hikari began filming the comedy drama Rental Family in Japan for Searchlight Pictures.[9]

### Television

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In 2023 she directed three episodes, including the pilot, of the comedy drama series Beef, for Netflix. [10][11][12]

## Awards

[edit]

* DGA Student Award for the Best Female Filmmaker [5]
* Future Filmmakers Award and Audience Award at Palm Springs International Shortfest[5]
* Panorama Audience Award at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival (37 Seconds) [13][10][14]
* International Confederation of Art Cinemas’ Art Cinema Award in the festival's Panorama section.[15]

## Filmography

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Short film

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Producer

|
|
|
|

2011  | Tsuyako | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
2013  | A Better Tomorrow | Yes  | Yes  | No
2015  | Where We Begin | Yes  | Yes  | Yes

Feature film

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Producer

|
|
|
|

2019  | 37 Seconds | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
2025  | Rental Family † | Yes  | Yes  | Yes

TV series

Year  | Title  | Director  | Executive
Producer  | Notes

|
|
|
|

2022  | Tokyo Vice | Yes  | No  | 2 episodes
2023  | Beef | Yes  | Yes  | 3 episodes

## References

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1. ^ "Hikari's schedule for 2016 Red Rock Film Festival". 2016rrff.sched.com. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
2. ^ "Outstanding Alumnus Award". SUU. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
3. ^ "USC Cinematic Arts | School of Cinematic Arts News". cinema.usc.edu. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
4. ^ a b "HIKARI". IMDB. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
5. ^ a b c "Hikari's "37 Seconds": A Story of Cerebral Palsy and Self-Discovery". nippon.com. 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
6. ^ "Hikari | Writer, Director". www.bafta.org. 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
7. ^ "37 Seconds - Panorama 2019". www.berlinale.de. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
8. ^ @rainbowrowell (July 5, 2020). "I am EXTREMELY DELIGHTED -- like, OVER THE MOON -- to announce that @thehikarism will direct the 'Eleanor & Park' film being produced by @picturestart and Plan B Entertainment" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
9. ^ "'Shōgun's Takehiro Hira And Akira Emoto Join Brendan Fraser's 'Rental Family' At Searchlight". Deadline. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
10. ^ a b "Japanese filmmaker Hikari to direct Netflix dramedy 'Beef'". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
11. ^ "HIKARI". MUBI. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
12. ^ White, Peter (2022-03-10). "'37 Seconds' Director Hikari To Helm Netflix's 'Beef'". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
13. ^ Gemünden, Gerd (2019-05-15). "Dieter Kosslick Takes a Bow: The 69th Berlin Film Festival". Film Criticism. 43 (3). doi:10.3998/fc.13761232.0043.311. hdl:2027/spo.13761232.0043.311. ISSN 2471-4364.
14. ^ Watlington, Emily (2019-03-12). "Review: Hikari's '37 Seconds' – Berlinale". Another Gaze: A Feminist Film Journal. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
15. ^ "Japanese director Hikari's '37 Seconds' wins prizes at Berlin Film Festival". The Japan Times. 17 February 2019. Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2023.

## External links

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* Hikari at IMDb
* Hikari at MUBI

* v
* t
* e

Asian Film Award for Best New Director

* Dong Yue (2018)
* Oliver Chan (2019)
* Hikari (2020)
* Hong Eui-jeong (2021)
* Jigme Trinley (2023)
* Nick Cheuk (2024)
* / Sandhya Suri (2025)

*[†]: Film has not yet been released
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template