Atsuko Hirayanagi (平栁 敦子, Hirayanagi Atsuko) is a Japanese-American filmmaker.
Atsuko Hirayanagi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Alma mater | NYU, Tisch School of the Arts |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, Director |
Early life edit
Born in Nagano to schoolteachers and raised in Chiba, Japan, Hirayanagi moved to the Los Angeles area in the early 1990s as a high school exchange student.[1]
She graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in theater arts. She went on to attend NYU Tisch School of the Arts and graduated with a MFA in film production.[1]
Career edit
While in graduate school, her second year project, Mo Ikkai, won the Grand Prix at the 2012 Short Shorts Film Festival in Asia.[2]
Her thesis short film, Oh Lucy!, received a Tisch's First Prize Wasserman Award at the 2014 First Run Festival,[3] and also won more than 25 awards[4] around the globe, including prizes at Cannes Film Festival (2014),[5] Sundance Film Festival (2015),[6] and the Toronto International Film Festival (2014).[7]
Her feature-length version of Oh Lucy! was a recipient of the 2016 Sundance/NHK Award.[8] On June 14, 2017, she was named one of the ″20 Rising Women Directors You Need to Know″ by IndieWire.,[9] and was nominated at the 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards for Best First Feature.[10] The project was funded by Cathay Organisation CEO Meileen Cho.[1]
Hirayanagi was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2018.[11]
On April 29, 2021, Hirayanagi was set to direct the film adaptation of A. Lee Martinez’s novel The Last Adventure of Constance Verity for Legendary Entertainment with Awkwafina set to star.[12]
In March 2022, it was announced that Hirayanagi would serve as showrunner of the Amazon Prime Video original series Modern Love Tokyo.[13]
Personal life edit
Hirayanagi is a black belt in Kyokushin Karate, and came in 3rd place in the Los Angeles Cup Women's Category.[14]
Atsuko currently resides in Noe Valley, San Francisco, CA.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c d Bajko, Matthew S. (2018). "How Film Director Made Oh Lucy!". The Noe Valley Voice. Vol. XLII, no. 3.
- ^ "Hirayanagi Earns Grand Prix Award". Tisch School of the Arts. June 6, 2012. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ "IMDb First Run Festival, 2014 Award Winners". IMDb.
- ^ "Oh Lucy! (2014 film) Awards". IMDb.
- ^ Ford, Rebecca (May 22, 2014). "Cannes: Cinefondation Selection Winner Announced". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ "2015 Sundance Film Festival Announces Short Film Awards". The Sundance Institute. January 28, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ Wilner, Norman (September 14, 2014). "TIFF 2014: And the winners are". Now. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ "Sundance Institute/NHK Award 2016 Announced". NHK. February 12, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ Sharf, Zack (June 14, 2017). "The Future is Female: 20 Rising Women Directors You Need to Know". IndieWire. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ "Film Independent Spirit Award, 2018 Nominees". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Khatchaturian, Maane (June 25, 2018). "Academy Invites Record 928 New Members". Variety. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (April 29, 2021). "Atsuko Hirayanagi To Direct Legendary's 'The Last Adventures Of Constance Verity' Starring Awkwafina". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (30 March 2022). "Amazon Japan Reboots 'Takeshi's Castle,' Sets 'Modern Love Tokyo,' 'Bake Off,' Live Boxing". Variety.
- ^ "Kyokushin in LA, Instructor Profile". Kyokushin in LA.