- Born
- Shusuke Kaneko (born June 8, 1955) is a Japanese filmmaker and screenwriter. Kaneko began his career at Nikkatsu and would serve as a writer for film and anime. Establishing himself as an up and coming director, Kaneko would win accolades at various film festivals. His film, Summer Vacation 1999, would garner him his first award for best director at the Yokohama Film Festival. As a lifelong Godzilla fan, Kaneko was chosen as the director for Daiei's revival of the Gamera franchise. Kaneko's work on the Gamera films were met with unprecedented critical acclaim. He would be honored with the Director's Award at the 17th Yokohama Film Festival for his work on Gamera: Guardian of the Universe. This film would also go one to top Kinema Junpo's best films of the year list and earn Blue Ribbon awards for best Director and best supporting actress. Kaneko would go on to direct the most successful Godzilla film of the millennium series as well as the live action adaptations of Death Note. Kaneko has also contributed to various documentaries on kaiju films, championing their artistry and imagination.- IMDb mini biography by: InfoMon
- Children
- All four of Kaneko's kaiju films have made it onto Kinema Junpo's prestigious best of the year list for each of their respective years.
- [Regarding the 1998 Tristar 'Godzilla' film] "It is interesting the U.S. version of Godzilla runs about trying to escape missiles...Americans seem unable to accept a creature that cannot be put down by their arms."
- [on Kaiju films] Saying it's "just a guy in a suit" is not the right attitude. It's more enjoyable to watch these films when you understand their long history and culture.
- [on the Kaiju genre] We didn't consider them science-fiction movies. We didn't have that kind of an idea. But ever since the Godzilla movies in the 1950s, many kaiju movies were made after that. They became their own genre. They are kaiju movies rather than science fiction.
- [Kaiju genre] Within the genre, there are science-fiction leanings, there are fantasy leanings, but the kaiju genre is a genre in and of itself. The concept of science fiction started in America because America is a young country. Japan has such a long tradition, so it's difficult for science fiction to root itself in this country.
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