Born August 2, 1984 in Tokyo, Makoto Nagahisa began directing films and music videos while working at a major ad agency as a commercial planner. In 2017, he wrote and directed the short film And So We Put Goldfish in the Pool. and was the first Japanese to win the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at the 33rd Sundance Film Festival. His full-length feature film, We Are Little Zombies received the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Originality at the Sundance Film Festival. His latest work is an advertising short film for Gucci, released in August 2022.
For a short time between August 19 and September 15, 2022, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles offered a free virtual screening of both of his award-winning films "We Are Little Zombies & And So We Put Goldfish in the Pool." followed by a Director's Talk with Kim Yutani, Director of Programming of the Sundance Film Festival.
In this video, Director Nagahisa shares his thoughts and inspiration behind his unique work.
*To watch the video in full screen, please click on the image above, then click on the YouTube icon on the lower right-hand corner.