ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

KATSUHITO ISHII (DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER)
Born in 1966 in Niigata, Japan, Katsuhito Ishii began drawing Manga (Japanese-style comic book art) before the age of ten. Immediately after joining high school, he became intrigued by pop and contemporary art, as well as religious paintings, and decided to pursue a painting career. While attending Musashino Art University, he discovered the world of American comic books and cinema, the latter of which he studied under director Kohei Oguri. Ishii’s increasing interest in the visual arts led him to create a 10 minute snimated feature "Wild World" as his graduation project in 1991. He joined Tohoku-shinsha the same year, marking his directorial debut in 1993 with a commercial film for Koikeya’s Clipper. Projects for Coca-cola, Sony’s Qubrick and Mazda’s Demio soon followed, earning Ishii several ACC award. To date he has directed more than 80 commercials.
In 1994 Ishii wrote and directed his first live action "Hachigatsu No Yakusoku (Promise in August)," a short film for which he was awarded the Grand Prix prize for Video at the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival. The film was released theatrically in 1995, recieving high praise throughout the industry. SHARK SKIN MAN AND PEACH HIP GIRL is Ishii’s first feature film.