ATSUSHI FUNAHASHI, Director / Writer / Producer

Atsushi Funahashi was born in Osaka, Japan, and graduated from Tokyo University with a B.A. in cinema studies. He moved to New York in 1997 and studied film directing at the School of Visual Arts. His debut feature Echoes (2001) was well received by critics and film festivals, winning three jury and audience awards at Annonay International Film Festival in France. The film has been theatrically distributed in the USA and Japan. His second film, Big River (2006), starring Jo Odagiri, was selected for the Berlinale Co-Production Market and PPP (Pusan Promotion Plan) at its project stage. Produced by Office Kitano, the film was shown at various film festivals (including Berlin, Pusan, Karlovy Vary, Sao Paolo, and Shanghai) and was released worldwide by Celluloid Dreams Director's Label. Funahashi has also directed several HDTV documentaries on social issues and New York ethnic culture for NHK, Japanʼs public broadcasting network. One of these documentaries, For the Joyful Moment of Life (2005), won a Telly Award. Funahashi moved back to Tokyo in 2007 and has started directing films in Japan.