Masanori Tominaga Explained

Masanori Tominaga
Birth Date:	31 October 1975
Birth Place:	Ehime Prefecture, Japan
Occupation:	Film director

is a Japanese film director. His 1999 short film, Dolmen, received the Honorary Mention of the International Jury at the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen in 2000.^[1]

Career

Tominaga directed the first feature film, The Pavillion Salamandre, starring Joe Odagiri.^[2] He directed Pandora's Box, starring Shota Sometani and Riisa Naka, based on the novel by Osamu Dazai.^[3] He directed the comedy film, Vengeance Can Wait, starring Minami, Tadanobu Asano, Eiko Koike and Takayuki Yamada.^[4]

Tominaga directed The Echo of Astro Boy's Footsteps, which is a documentary about Matsuo Ohno, the sound designer for Astro Boy.^[5] It was described by James Marsh of Twitch Film as "not only a dream documentary for anyone who is a fan of the iconic Japanese anime character, but also a delight for audio-tech fanatics who remain unsated even after Berberian Sound Studio."^[6] It was listed by Jasper Sharp of Midnight Eye as the best Japanese film of 2012.^[7] The film screened at the Flatpack Film Festival in 2013.^[8]

Filmography

Feature films

• The Pavillion Salamandre (2006)
• Konna Otona no Onna no Ko (2007)
• Pandora's Box (2009)
• Vengeance Can Wait (2010)
• Niwa ni Onegai (2011)
• The Echo of Astro Boy's Footsteps (2011)
• Me o Tojite Gira Gira (2011)
• Pumpkin and Mayonnaise (2017)
• Sutekina Dynamite Scandal (2017)
• Between the White Key and the Black Key (2023)^[9]

Short films

• Dolmen (1999)
• Vicunas (2002)
• Kamemushi (2003)
• Tetrapod Report (2003)
• Oriente Ring (2004)
• Shirley Temple Japon (2005)
• Shirley no Tenraku Jinsei (2009)
• The Restaurant of Many Orders (2012) - based on Miyazawa Kenji's short story
• News Lounge 25 (2012)

Music videos

• Naruyoshi Kikuchi - "Nocturne for Machiko Kyo" (2005)
• Soil & "Pimp" Sessions - "Mashiroke" (2007)
• Sotaisei Riron - "Jigoku Sensei" (2008)
• Etsuko Yakushimaru - "Oyasumi Paradox" (2009)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Award Winners - Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen. International Short Film Festival Oberhausen. 2000. 2013-06-09. https://archive.today/20130620210432/http://www.kurzfilmtage.de/en/looking-back/2000/award-winners.html?print=1&cHash=8d3c67b3d6bfc02b86874186c75fb694. 2013-06-20. dead.
2. Web site: Niels. Matthijs. PAVILLION SALAMANDRE (Masanori Tominaga) Review. Twitch Film. October 26, 2011. June 1, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081046/http://twitchfilm.com/2011/10/pavillion-salamandre-masanori-tominaga-review.html. March 4, 2016. dead.
3. Web site: Mark. Schilling. Mark Schilling. 'Villon no Tsuma'/'Pandora no Hako'. The Japan Times. October 9, 2009.
4. Web site: Charles. Webb. Japan Cuts 2011: VENGEANCE CAN WAIT Review. Twitch Film. July 19, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150403142301/http://twitchfilm.com/2011/07/japan-cuts-2011-vengeance-can-wait-review.html. April 3, 2015.
5. Web site: Russell. Edwards. Review: "The Echo of Astro Boy's Footsteps". Variety. November 8, 2011.
6. Web site: James. Marsh. Marshy's 10 Favourite Asian Movies of 2012 Part 2. Twitch Film. January 13, 2013.
7. Web site: Jasper. Sharp. Midnight Eye's Best (and Worst) of 2012. Midnight Eye. January 14, 2013.
8. Web site: Daniel. Neofetou. Review: Flatpack Film Festival 2013. Reeling the Real. April 15, 2013.
9. Web site: 白鍵と黒鍵の間に. April 7, 2023. eiga.com.