Mitsutoshi Tanaka, a renowned film and commercial director, was born in 1958 in Hokkaido, Japan. He graduated from the Osaka University of Arts Department of Visual Concept Planning in 1981 and went on to work with Dentsu Eigasha and TV Man Union before establishing his own film production firm, Creators' Union, in Osaka in 1984.
Tanaka has been the President and CEO of Creators' Union since its inception and has also served as a Professor of Film and Media Studies at the Osaka University of Arts since 2014 and a Visiting Fellow at the Wakayama University Center for Tourism Research since 2017.
As a commercial director, Tanaka has worked on a wide range of projects, including promotional videos, TV commercials, and music videos, earning numerous awards and accolades. His notable works include tourism promotion videos for Mihama Municipality, TV commercials for Honda Motor, and music videos for Yi-Fang Wu.
Tanaka has also directed several TV dramas, including the 1993 Japanese-Chinese co-production "The Land of the Three Kingdoms" for TV Osaka. His first theatrical feature, "Kewaishi", a period drama based on a manga by Shotaro Ishinomori, was released in 2001 and received critical acclaim.
Tanaka's subsequent films, including "Godai - The Wunderkind" (2020),"125 Years Memory" (2015),"Blossoms Bloom" (2014),"Ask This of Rikyu" (2013),and "Castle Under Fiery Skies" (2009),have garnered numerous awards and nominations, solidifying his reputation as a masterful director.
In addition to his film and television work, Tanaka has been involved in various other endeavors, including his appointment as Tourism Ambassador of his hometown Urakawa, Hokkaido in 2010, Honorary Director of the Turkish Museum in Kushimoto, Wakayama in 2016, and Tourism Ambassador of Awara, Fukui in 2017. He has also received several prestigious awards, including the 94th Kinema Junpo Readers' Choice Award for Best Director and the 39th Japan Academy Film Prize as Excellent Director.
