Directing
Keiko Tsuruoka
Born October 9, 1988 · Ueda, Nagano Prefecture, Japan (age 37)
Keiko Tsuruoka is a Japanese film writer and director.
Known For
The Town of Whales · 2012The Town of Whales
2012
MovieDrama
Machi, Tomohiko and Hotaru attend the same high school. Machi misses her older brother, who disappeared six years earlier. The trio takes up his trail, which leads them first to Tokyo and then across the sea.
My First Love · 2013My First Love
2013
MovieDrama
A sensitive account of adolescent love, wherein a young man falls in love with a beautiful but older woman living next door, thereby plunging into a whirlwind of changing emotions that are heightened by her capriciousness, and leading to a truly heart-rending revelation.
Makuko · 2019Makuko
★ 6.72019
MovieDramaScience Fiction
A 5th grade elementary school student meets a transfer student who has a mysterious charm about her. He then learns her big secret.
Sasamakura · 2026Sasamakura
2026
MovieTV Movie
Tsugaru Lacquer Girl · 2023Tsugaru Lacquer Girl
★ 6.02023
MovieDrama
Keiko Tsuruoka’s film is at once traditional and contemporary: it gently mixes present-day gender and sexuality politics with the old-fashioned Japanese domestic drama. Traditional lacquerwork kitchenware is the Aoki family’s legacy, handed down to patriarch Seishiro (Kaoru Kobayashi) by his now-ailing father (Masayuki Suzuki). Seishiro expects to pass it in turn to his son Yu (Ryota Bando), but Yu has no interest in the craft—quite unlike daughter Miyako (Mayu Hotta), who loves it dearly. The stage is set for conflict, as established cultural traditions collide with modern mores…
Utsuroi no hyôhonbako · 2016Utsuroi no hyôhonbako
2016
MovieComedy
A women challenges herself to do more and overcome various obstacles of life by taking inspiration from her soothing music.
Saikai Paradise · 2025Saikai Paradise
2025
MovieDrama
Kazu, an actor visiting his hometown, where he will have to confess a sad secret to his family. Saikai is a seaside municipality in Nagasaki prefecture — a place with charm, nice scenery, and not much going on. For Kazu, it’s a nice contrast with Tokyo, where he has gone to make his living. His family and his old community welcome his return visit, and he is loath to disappoint them, but the truth about his upcoming marriage will have to be told…
Lingering Memories · 2015Lingering Memories
2015
MovieDrama
One summer day, Tokiko, whose life in Tokyo is going nowhere fast, gets on an overnight bus to the countryside. When she arrives, she meets Yohei, a high school student struggling to deal with the sudden death of a young man who was like a big brother to him.
Filmography
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