Sion Sono

Japanese filmmaker, author, and poet (born 1961)

"Sono Sion" redirects here. For the car, see Sono Motors Sion.

Sion Sono

Sono in 2015

Born|  (1961-12-18) December 18, 1961 (age 63)

Toyokawa, Aichi, Japan

Other names| Takayuki Yamamoto
Occupation(s)| Poet, film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, film composer, actor, film producer
Spouse| Megumi Kagurazaka

Sion Sono (園 子温, Sono Shion, born December 18, 1961) is a Japanese filmmaker, author, and poet. Best known on the festival circuit for the film Love Exposure (2008), he has been called "the most subversive filmmaker working in Japanese cinema today",[1] a "stakhanovist filmmaker"[2][3] with an "idiosyncratic" career.[4]

## Early life

[edit]

Sion Sono was born in Aichi Prefecture in 1961. As he mentioned in many interviews, at the age of 17 he ran away from home and wandered the streets on the verge of starvation.[5][6] On his first night in Tokyo, he met a woman who lured Sono into a hotel room where she put a knife to her own throat and threatened to commit suicide if he would not help her meet her parents pretending to be her husband. Sono not only agreed but spent several weeks with her family in the countryside, but in the end the woman let him go and gave him a small amount of money. Soon, he began starving again. Then he met a priest from the Unification Church and agreed to join their cult because the priest promised Sono food and shelter. Sono spent some time in the cult but found it extremely funny how the main priest claimed to be God. Soon, Sono fled. Even though the cult was not yet as powerful as it is nowadays, it strictly prohibited its members to return into normal life and was not easy to get away from. The cultists tracked and followed the runaway. When Sono returned home, he found a letter from the cult on his table. To save himself from the cult, Sono decided to join the terrorist group that was protesting against expansion of the Narita International Airport. Almost everyday their protests grew into fights with the riot police so they were happy to take in one more young and strong soldier. Eventually, Sono managed to leave the terrorist group, and the cult members never showed up again.[7][8]

Upon returning home, Sono entered Hosei University. During his student years he tried himself as a poet and even was published in magazines Eureka and The Modern Poem Book. Then he also started taking his first steps in film directing, making a series of short films on Super 8.[7][8]

## Career

[edit]

### 1980s – 2000s

[edit]

In 1985, Sono's short film Ore wa Sono Sion da!!, in which he introduced himself as a punk poet,[9] was selected for the Pia Film Festival. Two years later, in 1987 Sono won the PFF Gran Prix with his film Otoko no Hanamichi (A Man's flower road). The PFF scholarship he spent to create the next movie, his first feature-length 16 mm film Bicycle Sighs (Jitensha Toiki), a coming-of-age tale about two underachievers in perfectionist Japan. Sono co-wrote, directed, and starred in the film.[10][11]

In 1990, Sono moved to San Francisco, and was admitted to University of California, Berkeley; however, he never attended class, or learned English, instead spending his time watching B-movies and porno movies.[12] Soon he dropped his studies and moved to San Francisco, in his own words, "to study movies". As he explained in interviews, he wanted to "clear his head from classic cinema". Upon return to Japan, he ventured into the creation of unconventional, "dark entertainment" art-house.[13][12][1]

In Japan, he wrote and directed his second feature film, The Room (Heya) (1992), a bizarre tale about a serial killer looking for a room in a bleak, doomed Tokyo district. It participated in the Sundance Film Festival.[14] The Room also toured on 49 festivals worldwide, including the Berlin Film Festival and the Rotterdam Film Festival.[15]

In 1993–1995, Sono's main project was an art-group named Tokyo GAGAGA.[16] Armed only with their creative ideas and art, group members ‘led a guerilla war against normalization of solitude and loneliness in everyday life’. They seized the busiest streets of Tokyo and filled them with installations and banners.[17][18]

In the following years, Sono directed works such as the drama I Am Keiko (1997),[19] the faux-documentary Utsushimi (2000), and the pink film Teachers of Sexual Play: Modelling Vessels with the Female Body (2000).[20] Also in 2000, Sono released an experimental short film 0cm4, contemplating on colourblindness and epistemology.[21]

In 2001, Sono wrote and directed the horror film Suicide Club, his breakthrough feature, which follows a series of interconnected mass suicides. The film was very successful, gaining considerable notoriety in film festivals (including winning the Prize for "Most Ground-Breaking Film" at the 2003 Fantasia Film Festival), and developing a significant cult following over the years, even spawning a manga adaptation, as well as a companion piece novel written by Sono himself. In 2005, Sono released Noriko's Dinner Table, a prequel to Suicide Club, which also received acclaim. The film received special mention at the 40th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.[22]

In 2005, Sono also released three other films: Into a Dream (Yume no Naka e), a coming-of-age tale about the life of a theatre group member, Hazard, a crime film shot in New York City, (which was wide released in 2006) and Strange Circus, where Sono worked not only as director and writer, but also as composer and cinematographer. In 2006, he wrote and directed the drama film Balloon Club, Afterwards. In 2007, he wrote and directed the horror film Exte: Hair Extensions.[23]

In 2008, Sono directed and wrote the 237 minutes-long epic Love Exposure, which is widely considered his most acclaimed and popular work to date. The film won the Caligari Film Award and the FIPRESCI Prize at Berlin International Film Festival, as well as the Best Asian Film award at the Fantasia Film Festival. Almost a decade later, Sono would release an extended mini-series version of the film titled, Love Exposure: The TV-Show. Love Exposure was the first film in Sono's thematic "Hate" trilogy. In 2009, Sono directed the dramas Be Sure to Share and Make The Last Wish.[24][25][26]

### 2010s and further

[edit]

Love Exposure was followed by the second and third installments, Cold Fish, released in 2010, and Guilty of Romance, released in 2011; both were acclaimed, and gained him the Best Director awards at the Yokohama Film Festival and the Hochi Film Awards.[27][28] 2011 saw Sono be recognized in the United States with his work being highlighted in the cinema series Sion Sono: The New Poet presented at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City.[29][30]

In 2011 and 2012 respectively, Sono released two drama films inspired by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and Tohoku Earthquake: Himizu[31] and The Land of Hope. The films were praised for their simplicity and seriousness compared to Sono's other works, and Himizu won the Marcello Mastroianni Award at the 68th Venice International Film Festival. In 2012, Sono edited and released the film BAD FILM using footage from the production of a massive unreleased underground film he shot in 1995 starring the performance collective Tokyo GAGAGA.[17][16][18]

In 2013, he directed the action-drama Why Don't You Play in Hell?, which was an international success, winning the People's Choice Award in the Midnight Madness section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, and being distributed by the American company Drafthouse Films.[32][33] In 2014, he directed Tokyo Tribe, a hip-hop musical adaptation of the manga of the same name.[34]

In 2015, five films directed by Sono were released: Shinjuku Swan, an action yakuza film, Love & Peace, a tokusatsu fantasy drama,[35] Tag, an action horror film which was named Best Film of the year at the Fantasia Film Festival,[36] and the Fancine Malaga, The Virgin Psychics, an adaptation of the science fiction comedy manga series All Esper Dayo! by Kiminori Wakasugi, and The Whispering Star, a science fiction film which won the NETPAC Award at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.[37]

In 2016, Sono was one of the directors chosen by Nikkatsu for its Roman Porno Reboot project, which asked five Japanese filmmakers to make a film that abided by the same rules as the studio's popular softcore pornography films released in the 1970s. Sono's film, the surrealist Antiporno, was praised for its exploration of female sexuality and contemplations on such topics as freedom and addiction, patriarchy, sexual objectification.[38][39]

In 2017, Sono directed a sequel to Shinjuku Swan, Shinjuku Swan II. In the same year, he wrote and directed a 9-part horror mini-series titled Tokyo Vampire Hotel, which was produced and released to streaming by Amazon. A special feature-length cut of the show running 2 hours and 22 minutes was shown at various festivals. Also he made a cameo appearance in Meisekimu Genshi's short film Ami. exe.[40]

In 2018, it was announced that Sono was working on his first overseas production and English-language debut, a film titled Prisoners of the Ghostland, starring Nicolas Cage, which was described by Cage as "the wildest movie I've ever made."[41] In 2019, Sono was hospitalized and underwent emergency surgery following a heart attack, temporarily halting pre-production on the film.[42][43]

In 2019, Netflix released The Forest of Love, a crime film written, directed and co-edited by Sono, inspired by the murders of Japanese serial killer Futoshi Matsunaga. An extended, mini-series version of the film, titled The Forest of Love: Deep Cut was also released. In 2020, Sono wrote, directed and edited the film Red Post on Escher Street, which followed a film director's efforts to complete a film, and won the People's Choice Award at the Montreal Festival of New Cinema.[44][45]

Sono co-wrote the 2022 film Moshikashite, Hyūhyū, credited under the pseudonym "Takayuki Yamamoto" to obscure his involvement.[46]

### Television

[edit]

Sono has director and writer credits for two episodes and acted in one episode of the 2006 comedy television mini-series Jikō Keisatsu (Prescription Police) and wrote one episode of the 2007 series Kaette Kita Jikō keisatsu (Before Prescription Police). He directed, wrote, and acted in an episode of the 2013 series Minna! ESPer Dayo! and directed its 2015 television special continuation All Esper Dayo! SP. Sono directed and wrote the 2017 Amazon original mini-series Tokyo Vampire Hotel.

## Reception

[edit]

In The Hollywood Reporter, Clarence Tsui writes that Sono has "established himself as one of the most idiosyncratic artists of his generation".[1] Often considered a provocateur, Mike Hale of The New York Times argues that he is "the most recognizable, if not the most universally celebrated, director in Japan", which Sono himself explains by stating (in Hale's words) that Japanese critics generally "reserve their approval for work that doesn't 'embarrass' the nation." The director has said, "I do think an international audience understands my work more."[47] Sono is considered an auteur,[48] with his style being characterized by features such as grotesque violence, extreme eroticism, philosophical references, surreal imagery, and complex narratives. Sono's portrayal of women has been a subject of discussion, with some considering his works misogynist, and others claiming they are feminist.[49] Common themes in his works include sex, cinema, cynicism, and modern Japanese society. Sono's work has often been described as belonging to, or being inspired by, the ero guro nansensu genre.[50]

## Sexual misconduct allegations

[edit]

On April 4, 2022, women's magazine Shūkan Josei reported allegations by two actresses and rumors inside the Japanese film industry that Sono has sexually harassed and made unwanted advances towards actresses for years.

Sono released a statement on his website apologizing to everyone he may have disturbed and admitting his "lack of consideration and respect for others" as a filmmaker, but denied many of the allegations and said he would defend himself in court.[51] On May 18, 2022, Sono sued the publisher of Shūkan Josei for damages.[52]

Sono Sion and Shūkan Josei reached a settlement on February 1, 2024, in which Shuukan Josei agreed to delete two articles from April 2022 that originally made the allegations.[53]

## Awards

[edit]

Sono received the following awards for his films:

* 2003: Fantasia International Film Festival – Most Ground-Breaking Film and Fantasia Ground-Breaker Award (Suicide Club)
* 2005: Karlovy Vary International Film Festival – Don Quijote Award and Special Mention (Noriko's Dinner Table)
* 2006: Berlin International Film Festival – Reader Jury of the "Berliner Zeitung" (Strange Circus)
* 2007: Austin Fantastic Fest – Best Film (Exte)
* 2009: Berlin International Film Festival – FIPRESCI Prize and Caligari Film Award (Love Exposure)
* 2009: Fant-Asia Film Festival – Best Asian Film, Most Innovative Film and Special Jury Prize (Love Exposure)
* 2010: Mainichi Film Concours – Best Director (Love Exposure)
* 2015: Fantasia International Film Festival – Cheval Noir Award for Best Film (Tag)[54]
* 2015: Fantasia International Film Festival – Special Mention for its creative, surprising and monumental opening kill sequence (Tag)[54]
* 2015: Fantasia International Film Festival – Audience Award for Best Asian Feature (Love and Peace)[54]
* 2015: Toronto International Film Festival – NETPAC Award for World or International Asian Film Premiere (The Whispering Star)[55]

Sono also received the following nominations for his films:

* 2005: Karlovy Vary International Film Festival – Crystal Globe (Noriko's Dinner Table)
* 2009: Asia Pacific Screen Awards – Achievement in Directing (Love Exposure)
* 2010: Asian Film Awards – Best Director (Love Exposure)[56]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Feature films

[edit]

Sion Sono's filmography includes:[57]

Year | Title | Distributor | Credited as | Notes | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

Director | Screenwriter | Actor
1986 | A Man's Flower Road |  | Yes | Yes | Yes |  |
Happiness Avenue |  | No | No | Yes |  |
1988 | Decisive Match! Boys Dorm vs Girls Dorm |  | Yes | Yes | Yes |  |
1990 | Bicycle Sighs |  | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-written with Hisashi Saito. |
1991 | I Hate You... Not |  | No | No | Yes |  |
1992 | Heya (The Room) |  | Yes | Yes | No |  |
1994 | Otaku |  | No | No | Yes |  |
1997 | Keiko Desukedo (I Am Keiko) |  | Yes | Yes | No |  |
1998 | Dankon: The Man |  | Yes | Yes | No |  |
1999 | Kōshoku Fūfu: Susutte Hoshii |  | No | No | Yes |  |
2000 | Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf | Teruo Ishii Productions, Slow Learner (Japan), Eleven Arts (USA) | No | No | Yes |  |
Seigi no tatsujin: Nyotai tsubo saguri (Teachers of Sexual Play: Modelling Urns with the Female Body) |  | Yes | Yes | Yes |  |
Utsushimi (The Real Body) |  | Yes | Yes | Yes | Credited as cinematographer. |
2001 | Suicide Club | Earthrise (Japan), TLA Releasing | Yes | Yes | No |  |
2004 | Nō-pantsu gāruzu: Movie box-ing2 : Otona ni Nattara (No Pants Girls: Movie Box-ing2) |  | Yes | Yes | No | Anthology series. |
2005 | Into a Dream |  | Yes | Yes | No |  |
Noriko's Dinner Table | Eleven Arts (global), Tidepoint Pictures | Yes | Yes | No |  |
Hazard | Evokative Films, Eleven Arts | Yes | Yes | Yes | With Kazuyoshi Kumakiri as contributing writer. Also cameo. |
Strange Circus |  | Yes | Yes | No | Credited as composer, cinematographer. |
2006 | Balloon Club Revisited |  | Yes | Yes | No |  |
Damejin |  | No | No | Yes |  |
2007 | Exte | Toei Company | Yes | Yes | No | Screenplay written with Masaki Adachi, Makoto Sanada. |
The Insects Unlisted in the Encyclopedia |  | No | No | Yes | Credited as composer. |
2008 | Love Exposure | Omega Project | Yes | Yes | No |  |
Tokyo Gore Police |  | No | No | Yes |  |
2009 | Be Sure to Share |  | Yes | Yes | No |  |
Make the Last Wish |  | Yes | Yes | Yes | Cameo. |
2010 | Cold Fish |  | Yes | Yes | No | Co-written with Yoshiki Takahashi. |
2011 | Himizu | Gaga | Yes | Yes | No |  |
Guilty of Romance |  | Yes | Yes | No | Story written by Mizue Kunizane. |
2012 | The Land of Hope |  | Yes | Yes | No |  |
Bad Film |  | Yes | Yes | Yes | Credited as Film editor. Shot in 1995, released in 2012. |
2013 | Why Don't You Play in Hell? | Drafthouse Films (USA) | Yes | Yes | No | Credited as composer. |
2014 | Tokyo Tribe | Nikkatsu | Yes | Yes | Yes | Cameo. |
2015 | Shinjuku Swan | Sony Pictures Entertainment | Yes | No | No |  |
Love & Peace | Asmik Ace Entertainment | Yes | Yes | No |  |
Tag | Shochiku, Asmik Ace Entertainment, Universal Pictures Japan (via NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan) | Yes | Yes | No |  |
The Virgin Psychics | Gaga | Yes | Yes | No |  |
The Whispering Star |  | Yes | Yes | No | Credited as producer. |
2016 | Antiporno | Nikkatsu | Yes | Yes | No | Credited as producer. |
2017 | Tokyo Vampire Hotel | Amazon Video | Yes | Yes | No |  |
Shinjuku Swan II |  | Yes | No | No |  |
2018 | Red Blade |  | No | Yes | No | Screenplay by Toshiki Kimura (as Ichirô Ryû), story by Sion Sono (as Shion Sono). |
2019 | The Forest of Love | Netflix | Yes | Yes | No |  |
2020 | State of Emergency | Amazon Studios | Yes | No | No | Anthology series. | [58]
Red Post on Escher Street |  | Yes | Yes | No | Credited as Film Editor (as Shion Sono). |
2021 | Prisoners of the Ghostland | RLJE Films | Yes | No | No | First English-language film | [59]

### Short films

[edit]

Year | Title | Credited as

|
|

director | screenWriter | Actor
1984 | Love Songs | Yes | No | Yes
1985 | I Am Sion Sono!! | Yes | Yes | Yes
1986 | Love | Yes | Yes | Yes
1995 | Vagina and Virgin | Yes | Yes | No
1998 | Kaze (Wind) | Yes | Yes | No
2001 | 0cm4 | Yes | Yes | No
2001 | Father's Day | Yes | No | No
2010 | Karma | No | Yes[a] | No
2013 | Venice 70: Future Reloaded[b] | Yes | No | No
2016 | Madly[b] | Yes | No | No
2017 | Ami. exe[60] | No | No | Yes
2018 | ami.exe[61] | No | No | Yes
2018 | The Bastard and the Beautiful World[b] | Yes | Yes | No
2020 | The Lonely 19:00[b] | Yes | Yes | No

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Tokyo Gagaga (1993)
* Furo de Yomu Gendai Shi Nyuumon (2000)
* Jisatsu Saakuru: Kanzenban (2002)
* Jikou Keisatsu (2002)
* Yume no Naka e (2005)

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Story by Alex Paille
2. ^ a b c d Anthology series.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Tsui, Clarence (July 29, 2016). "'The Sion Sono': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
2. ^ Acevedo, Yoselin (January 12, 2017). "'Anti-Porno' Trailer: Japanese Director Sion Sono Returns with a Feminist Take on Sexuality". indiewire.com. IndieWire. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
3. ^ Brown, Todd (January 10, 2017). "ANTI-PORNO: First Trailer For Sono's Latest Delivers A Splash Of Color And Fetish". screenanarchy.com. ScreenAnarchy. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
4. ^ Harvey, Dennis (December 15, 2017). "Film Review: 'Antiporno'". variety.com. Variety. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
5. ^ Hoenigman, David F. (July 28, 2009). "channeling chaos – an interview with sion sono". 3ammagazin.com. 3:AM Magazine.
6. ^ Wilentz, David (September 4, 2009). "10% True, 90% Lies: SION SONO with David Wilentz". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
7. ^ a b "An Sabukaru Introduction to Sion Sono". Sabukaru Online. February 5, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
8. ^ a b David F Hoenigman (June 23, 2009). "Suicide pacts, cults and violence shape director Sion Sono". Japan Today. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
9. ^ Michael Rosser (January 26, 2016). "Berlin completes Forum line-up; focus on punk Japanese films". Screen Daily. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
10. ^ Kathie Smith (August 4, 2016). "A Man's Flower Road by Sion Sono". In Review Online. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
11. ^ "Sion Sono: The New Poet". Museum of Arts and Design. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
12. ^ a b David F. Hoenigman (July 28, 2009). "Channeling Chaos – An Interview with Sion Sono". 3:AM Magazine. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
13. ^ Hjelm 2021, p. 12.
14. ^ "1985–1996 Sundance Film Festival" (PDF). Sundance Institute. p. 16. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
15. ^ "Japan: Sion Sono". Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
16. ^ a b "'Bad Film' for bad people: Sion Sono looks back at Tokyo in 1995". Tokyo Reporter. November 27, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
17. ^ a b Pairez, J. (August 12, 2015). "Sion Sono's "Whispering Star"—The Return to Present: A Brief Visit to Dystopia". Tokyo Art Beat. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
18. ^ a b Jarzemsky, J. (July 16, 2013). "NYAFF 2013 Review: Sono Sion's BAD FILM Is By No Means That". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
19. ^ "KEIKO DESU KEDO (I AM KEIKO) by Sion Sono". 29 Torino Film Festival. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
20. ^ Lynch, M. (August 11, 2016). "Teachers of Sexual Play: Modelling Urns With the Female Body by Sion Sono". In Review Online. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
21. ^ Swapnil Dhruv Bose (January 13, 2023). "'0cm4': Sion Sono's exploration of colourblindness and epistemology". Farout Magazine. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
22. ^ "Závěrečná tisková zpráva (9. 7. 2005)" [Final press release (July 9, 2005)] (PDF) (in Czech). KVIFF. July 9, 2005: 2. Retrieved March 18, 2021. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
23. ^ "Sion Sono for Love Exposure (Ai no Mukidashi)". Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
24. ^ Schilling, M. (February 6, 2009). "Telling a lengthy tale of lust and religion". The Japan Times. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
25. ^ Hopkins, K. (January 5, 2022). "The Chaos of Sion Sono's Love Exposure". Japan Nakama. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
26. ^ Sharp, J. (September 10, 2015). "10 great Japanese films of the 21st century". Film Forever. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
27. ^ "'Suicide Club' Director Gets Behind Camera for 'Cold Fish'". BloodyDisgusting. February 15, 2010.
28. ^ "Five Controversial Arthouse Features from Japanese Filmmaker Sion Sono". Another Magazine. August 20, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
29. ^ "Sion Sono: The New Poet". Museum of Arts and Design. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
30. ^ Abrams, Simon. "Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono is not big on faith and family". Capital. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
31. ^ Miriam Bale (March 13, 2014). "In Japan, Two Teenagers Bond in a Chaotic, Violent World". The NY Times. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
32. ^ "Why Don't You Play in Hell? (Jigoku de naze warui): Venice Review". The Hollywood reporter. August 29, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
33. ^ "TIFF 2013: 12 Years a Slave wins film fest's top prize". Toronto Star. September 15, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
34. ^ "Live-Action Tokyo Tribe Film's Trailer Features a Rap Battle". Anime News Network. August 20, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
35. ^ Panos Kotzathanasis (December 24, 2020). "Film Review: Love and Peace (2015) by Sion Sono". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
36. ^ Schilling, M. (July 1, 2015). "Sion Sono is back with buckets of blood and a three-faced heroine in 'Tag'". Japan Times. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
37. ^ Mintzer, J. (September 12, 2015). "'The Whispering Star' ('Hiso Hiso Boshi'): TIFF Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
38. ^ Hjelm 2021, p. 12-13, 25-33.
39. ^ Acevedo, Yoselin (January 12, 2017). "'Anti-Porno' Trailer: Japanese Director Sion Sono Returns with a Feminist Take on Sexuality". IndieWire. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
40. ^ Cinema Nippon. ""ami.exe": A Glitch in Japanese Film". www.google.com. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
41. ^ Nordine, Michael (December 14, 2018). "Nicolas Cage Calls 'Prisoners of the Ghostland' 'The Wildest Movie I've Ever Made'". IndieWire. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
42. ^ "Japanese Auteur Sion Sono Hospitalized After Heart Attack | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. February 7, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
43. ^ Ehrlich, D. (October 14, 2019). "'The Forest of Love' Review: Sono Sion's Hyper-Violent Netflix Epic About School Girls and Serial Killers". IndieWire. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
44. ^ Escher dori no akai posuto – IMDb, retrieved November 15, 2020
45. ^ Erlich, D. (February 8, 2021). "'Red Post on Escher Street' Review: Sion Sono's Exhilarating Comedy Argues There Are No Extras in Life". Indie Wire. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
46. ^ 園子温 12月公開映画に「脚本・山本孝之」でステルス復帰！妻・神楽坂恵も"偽名"は「事実」と認める. Smart Flash (in Japanese). November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
47. ^ Hale, Mike (July 12, 2016). "At Japan Cuts Festival, Films by Sion Sono That Don't Fit His Bad-Boy Label". The New York Times. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
48. ^ "Japanese Auteur Sion Sono to Direct Netflix Series | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. October 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
49. ^ Dazed (December 1, 2017). "Your guide to controversial Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono". Dazed. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
50. ^ Lazarus, Lady (June 16, 2015). "Deviant Desires: Erotic Grotesque Nonsense. Part 1 (Introduction)". Lady Lazarus. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
51. ^ "Japan film director Sion Sono accused of sexual harassment". Japan Times. April 6, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
52. ^ 園子温監督、週刊女性側を提訴 「性行為強要」の記事「事実異なる」. The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
53. ^ "園子温氏、"性加害疑惑"週刊誌訴訟で和解を報告「記事は全文削除されております」【コメント全文】". ORICON NEWS. February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
54. ^ a b c "19th Fantasia International Film Festival Announces 2015 Winners". IndieWire. August 5, 2015.
55. ^ "Toronto International Film Festival Announces 2015 Award Winners" (PDF) (Press release). TIFF. September 20, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
56. ^ "Sion Sono". IMDb. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
57. ^ Giampiero Raganelli (December 23, 2011). "Intervista a Sion Sono". Rapporto Confidenziale. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
58. ^ "斎藤工＆ムロツヨシ＆夏帆らが参加、オムニバス映画『緊急事態宣言』配信". Cinema Cafe. July 29, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
59. ^ Welk, Brian (January 31, 2021). "Sundance 2021: What Has Sold So Far, From 'CODA' to 'Flee' (Photos)". TheWrap. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
60. ^ "Ami. exe". August 29, 2017. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022 - via IMDb.
61. ^ "ami.exe · v.?.?". April 21, 2018. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022 - via IMDb.

## Literature

[edit]

* Fredriksson, Erik (2020). "Ero-Guro-Nansensu in the Japanese Horror Films House, Suicide Club and Dead Sushi" (PDF). Dalarna University.
* Hjelm, Zara Luna (2021). "Embodying the sexed posthuman body of becoming in Sion Sono's Antiporno (アンチポルノ, 2016) and Mika Ninagawa's Helter Skelter (ヘルタースケルター, 2012)". Linköping University.
* Yujie, Lu (2019). "Lacan's Theory of the Mirror Stage about Sion Sono Film Language" (PDF). International Journal of Social Sciences in Universities. 2 (4): 14–19.

## External links

[edit]

* Japan portal
* Film portal

* Media related to Sono Shion at Wikimedia Commons
* Official website
* Sion Sono at IMDb
* Sion Sono at the Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese)

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Sion Sono

* BAD FILM (1995/2012)
* I Am Keiko (1997)
* Suicide Club (2001)
* Into a Dream (2005)
* Noriko's Dinner Table (2005)
* Hazard (2005)
* Strange Circus (2005)
* Exte (2007)
* Love Exposure (2008)
* Be Sure to Share (2009)
* Cold Fish (2010)
* Himizu (2011)
* Guilty of Romance (2011)
* The Land of Hope (2012)
* Why Don't You Play in Hell? (2013)
* Tokyo Tribe (2014)
* Shinjuku Swan (2015)
* Love & Peace (2015)
* Tag (2015)
* All Esper Dayo! SP (2015)
* The Virgin Psychics (2015)
* The Whispering Star (2015)
* Antiporno (2016)
* Shinjuku Swan II (2017)
* The Forest of Love (2019)
* Red Post on Escher Street (2020)
* Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021)

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Hochi Film Award for Best Director

* Yoshimitsu Morita (1985)
* Kichitaro Negishi (1986)
* Kazuo Hara (1987)
* Hayao Miyazaki (1988)
* Toshio Masuda (1989)
* Jun Ichikawa (1990)
* Takeshi Kitano (1991)
* Yōichi Higashi (1992)
* Yoichi Sai (1993)
* Tatsumi Kumashiro (1994)
* Shunji Iwai (1995)
* Yoshimitsu Morita (1996)
* Masato Harada (1997)
* Takeshi Kitano (1998)
* Yuji Nakae (2000)
* Hayao Miyazaki (2001)
* Yoji Yamada (2002)
* Hideo Onchi (2003)
* Yoichi Sai (2004)
* Kenji Uchida (2005)
* Kichitaro Negishi (2006)
* Nobuhiro Yamashita (2007)
* Ryōsuke Hashiguchi (2008)
* Miwa Nishikawa (2009)
* Tetsuya Nakashima (2010)
* Sion Sono (2011)
* Daihachi Yoshida (2012)
* Kazuya Shiraishi (2013)
* Takashi Koizumi (2014)
* Yukihiko Tsutsumi (2015)
* Lee Sang-il (2016)
* Yukiko Mishima (2017)
* Tatsushi Ōmori (2018)
* Shinsuke Sato (2019)
* Naomi Kawase (2020)
* Tetsu Maeda (2021)
* Shinzō Katayama (2022)
* Takashi Yamazaki (2023)
* Ayuko Tsukahara (2024)

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Yokohama Film Festival Award for Best Director

* Kazuhiko Hasegawa / Chūsei Sone (1980)
* Seijun Suzuki (1981)
* Kichitaro Negishi (1982)
* Banmei Takahashi (1983)
* Yoshimitsu Morita (1984)
* Toshiharu Ikeda (1985)
* Shinji Sōmai (1986)
* Hiroyuki Nasu (1987)
* Shunichi Kajima / Kazuo Hara (1988)
* Shusuke Kaneko / Shunichi Nagasaki (1989)
* Takeshi Kitano (1990)
* Shun Nakahara (1991)
* Takeshi Kitano (1992)
* Masayuki Suo (1993)
* Yoichi Sai (1994)
* Junji Sakamoto (1995)
* Shūsuke Kaneko / Shunji Iwai (1996)
* Masayuki Suo (1997)
* Rokuro Mochizuki (1998)
* Kiyoshi Kurosawa / Itsumichi Isomura (1999)
* Yoshimitsu Morita (2000)
* Junji Sakamoto (2001)
* Isao Yukisada (2002)
* Ryōsuke Hashiguchi / Hideyuki Hirayama (2003)
* Ryūichi Hiroki (2004)
* Tetsuya Nakashima (2005)
* Kazuyuki Izutsu (2006)
* Miwa Nishikawa (2007)
* Masayuki Suo (2008)
* Yōjirō Takita (2009)
* Akira Ogata (2010)
* Takashi Miike (2011)
* Sion Sono (2012)
* Daihachi Yoshida (2013)
* Azuma Morisaki (2014)
* Mipo O / Momoko Andō (2015)
* Hirokazu Kore-eda / Ryōsuke Hashiguchi (2016)
* Ryōta Nakano (2017)
* Kazuya Shiraishi (2018)
* Ryusuke Hamaguchi / Takahisa Zeze (2019)
* Rikiya Imaizumi (2020)
* Hideo Jojo (2021)
* Keisuke Yoshida (2022)
* Keiichi Kobayashi (2023)
* Yuya Ishii (2024)
* Yu Irie (2025)

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