“Godzilla Minus One” director and VFX supervisor Takashi Yamazaki and two-time Emmy Award winning actor and producer Hiroyuki Sanada will be honored at the 23rd annual Visual Effects Society Awards, Feb. 11 at The Beverly Hilton. Yamazaki will receive the VES Visionary Award, and Sanada, the VES Award for Creative Excellence.
Counted as one of Japan’s leading film directors, Yamazaki most recently wrote, directed and led the VFX team responsible for “Godzilla Minus One,” making him the first director since Stanley Kubrick to win an Academy Award for best visual effects. Godzilla Minus One is currently the third highest grossing foreign language film in U.S. box office history with $56 million. Yamazaki’s award winning films include “Always: Sunset on Third Street,” “The Eternal Zero” and “Stand by Me Doraemon.”
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The Visionary Award recognizes an individual who has “uniquely and consistently employed the art and science of visual effects to foster imagination and ignite future discoveries by way of artistry, invention and groundbreaking work.” Said VES chair Kim Davidson, “Takashi Yamazaki is a renowned talent in Japanese cinema, who accomplished a significant feat when he became only the second director to win an Academy Award for best visual effects, and in the process reinvigorated a legendary kaiju franchise. Yamazaki has been at the forefront in using visual effects to tell remarkable stories that transfix audiences and create unforgettable cinematic experiences.”
Yamazaki is set to make his Hollywood debut with Grandgear for Bad Robot and Sony Pictures. In addition to writing and directing the film, he will serve as a producer alongside J.J. Abrams and Glen Zipper.
The VES Award for Creative Excellence recognizes individuals who have made “significant and lasting contributions to the art and science of the VFX industry and cinematic entertainment.” The Society will honor Sanada for his roles in Japanese and Hong Kong actions films and dramatic cinema for more than five decades, and his impact as a cultural ambassador for Japan. As a producer and actor in FX’s “Shōgun,” Sanada became the first Japanese actor to win a Primetime Emmy Award.
“Hiroyuki Sanada has been at the center point of compelling cinematic stories that use visual effects to enhance unforgettable storytelling for decades,” said Davidson. “As a longtime adviser for Hollywood films to ensure authentic depictions of Japanese history to serving as the creative force behind juggernaut drama ‘Shōgun,’ Sanada’s work has left an indelible mark on the global cultural landscape.”
With a career spanning over 50 years, he has appeared in more than 70 films, including The Twilight Samurai, an Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film; and Hollywood movies such as “John Wick: Chapter 4,” “The Last Samurai” and “Avengers: Endgame.” Sanada most recently starred in and produced “Shōgun,” for which he earned Emmy Awards for lead actor in a drama and outstanding drama series. “Shōgun” holds the record for most Emmy wins in a single year in history.
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