Takashi Miike is a controversial Japanese film director. With modern classics such as Audition and dead or Alive under his belt, he is fast making a name for himself worldwide with many foreign film festivals picking up on his work.
“Provocative” is probably the best word to use when describing his work which is well known for graphic scenes of violence and, often, sexual taboo. His films are also typified by shocking, bizarre and always unexpected finales.
Miike was born in the small town of Yao which is situated in Osaka, Japan. When he was 18 he attended film school in Yokohama, where he was a poor student due to his lack of attendance. This was, however, to turn to his advantage when, one day, a local Tv company who were looking for an unpaid production assistant contacted his school and he was put forward for the job, as the school found him difficult.
Eventually he climbed the ranks and eventually he became an assistant director in film. His first major break happened in 1994 when he directed his first film “ Shinjuku Kurashiki” which was released in 1995. However, he didn’t break onto the international scene until 1999 when “Audition” was released and was picked up by many foreign film festivals in Europe. Almost immediately he became a cult director and was often compared to Quentin Tarantino, although his work is more brutal and most people consider his work much superior to Tarantino’s. He continues to make shocking and controversial films in Japan.
