Directing

Akihiro Onodera

No biography available.

Known For

Swallowtail ButterflySwallowtail Butterfly · 1996
Swallowtail Butterfly
★ 7.51996
MovieDramaCrime
The struggles of a group of outcasts living in "Yentown", in an alternate-future Japan.
Another WorldAnother World · 2018
Another World
★ 6.42018
MovieDrama
Ko, a man in his late 30s, lives in the countryside with his wife and teenage son. Mitsuhiko, who runs a local car dealership, also stayed in his hometown. One day, their mutual friend Eisuke returns from a long military operation and their reunification brings back both pleasant and painful memories.
Rampo NoirRampo Noir · 2005
Rampo Noir
★ 5.72005
MovieFantasyHorror
An anthology film consisting of four segments based on literary works by Edogawa Ranpo.
Climbing for LifeClimbing for Life · 2025
Climbing for Life
★ 10.02025
MovieDrama
In 1975, a woman reached the summit of Mount Everest: Junko, the first woman in history to reach the world's highest peak. Junko's unforgettable feat stunned the world, bringing her into the spotlight but casting a huge shadow over her friends and family. Despite being diagnosed with a terminal illness in her final years, Junko continued to challenge the mountains. What was the last thing she saw beyond the summit?
Children of the DarkChildren of the Dark · 2008
Children of the Dark
★ 6.32008
MovieDrama
A Middle-aged Japanese ex-pat journalist investigates child organ trafficking in Thailand and he uncovers a sinister network. In the darkest corners of Thailand, child prostitution and organ sales flourish. In order to save a child's life, another life must be taken. An outraged Japanese journalist and a passionate young Japanese NGO member attempt to save "children of the dark" from being consumed by arrogance and greed. However, the harsh realities of life intervene... Adapting Yan Sogil's book, which unflinchingly portrays the tragic realities unfolding today, filmmaker Junji Sakamoto directs a talented multinational cast to bring these stark events to life.
Okiku and the WorldOkiku and the World · 2023
Okiku and the World
★ 7.52023
MovieDramaComedy
Two rogue vagrants make their living as "manure men", turning the waste from the tenement toilets into fertiliser sold to local farmers. Enter Okiku, the only daughter of a fallen samurai, and amongst the overflowing piles of excrement, a well-nourished love story unfolds.
Dead End RunDead End Run · 2003
Dead End Run
★ 6.52003
MovieThrillerAction
A collection of three short films by Japanese visual genius Sogo Ishii. Each short focuses on the protagonists running away from a threat.
SomedaySomeday · 2011
Someday
2011
MovieDrama
The annual kabuki show is the main attraction in a rural Japanese mountain town. However, Yoshi's life is thrown into disarray days before the performance when his estranged wife and former best friend arrive back in town...

Filmography

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The ProjectsThe Projects · 2016
The Projects
★ 6.62016
MovieComedyScience Fiction
Whether it's someone mixing burnables and recyclables or noise from a neighbor's domestic spat, there's always something occupying the residents of a housing project in the suburbs of Osaka. However Hinako (Naomi Fujiyama) and Seiji (Ittoku Kishibe) couldn't care less. Having moved in just six months ago after the closure of their herbal medicine shop, the old couple is reluctantly putting their life back together. But when Seiji disappears, the apartment rumor mill churns: divorce, murder, dismemberment? As the story spins out of control, and a mysterious man with a parasol puts in a tall order of natural remedies, the truth turns out to be even more fantastic than gossip. Ranging from incisive comedy of errors to absurdist adventure to moving late life romance, "The Projects" is one of the biggest surprises of the year.

Assistant Director

Bad CompanyBad Company · 2001
Bad Company
★ 5.12001
MovieDrama
It is 1980. Sadatomo is at a secondary school in a small town. His parents barely take any notice of him. The strict teacher Kobayashi has hung up a 'humanity index' in the classroom, divided into the categories 'delinquents', 'scum' and 'people'. In each category he has hung name-cards of pupils. One day Kobayashi finds out that Sadatomo and his friends have stolen some things from a shop for fun. Their fathers are informed and as punishment, the children have to write a 'self-critical' essay of no less than thirty pages. For the first time, Sadatomo is beaten by his father. Shocked, he writes a piece entitled 'I am an onion', in which the teacher thinks he can detect a first sign of humanity. That is the start of a confusing situation in which it gets hard to distinguish lies, truth, justified self-criticism and opportunist wheeler dealing, even for the boys.

Assistant Director

When I Kill MyselfWhen I Kill Myself · 2011
When I Kill Myself
★ 4.72011
MovieThriller
Due to the high suicide rate among youths in Japan, the government implements experiments to uncover the causes behind the high suicide rate. Children are selected and placed in a YSC facility under constant surveillance. At the age of 10, the children are then give a detonator with a red switch. They are told if they press the switch they will die immediately. Most of the children under the experiment, eventually presses the switch and dies. After the completion of the experiment 6 kids remain who did not press the switch. The 6 kids are; strong-minded Masami, weak Naoto, hot-tempered Hiro, impulsive Ryota, wheelchair bound Kimiaki and Aiko who is always thinking of her parents. These 6 kids survived even though they were pressured by project manager Tsukuda to press the switch.

Assistant Director

ShunkinshōShunkinshō · 2008
Shunkinshō
2008
Movie
In the Daoxiu Town located in Osaka, there lived such an independent woman. Her name is Harukin Akiya (played by Naoya Nagazawa). At the age of 9, she went blind due to illness and then began learning silk and bamboo. The skill of Chunqin is superb. Although it is taught in a school, it scared away many disciples due to its stubborn and stubborn temper. The only person who never gives up on Chunqin is her servant Sasuke (played by Saito Gong), who has been guiding her since childhood. Sasuke regards the sacred Harukin as if it were Guanyin. Occasionally, he follows Harukin to learn the Sanwei line and takes care of everything for his master with all his heart. At that time, the playboy Ritaro (played by Matsuda Goji) pursued Harukin but was rejected and humiliated. Chunqin's unconventional behavior has led to a tragedy in his life and tightly intertwined the fate of him and Sasuke

Assistant Director