Takashi Yamazaki

Takashi Yamazaki
Yamazaki in 2023
Born	(1964-06-12) June 12, 1964 (age 59) Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
Alma mater	Asagaya College of Art and Design [ja]
Occupations	Film director screenwriter visual effects supervisor
Years active	1984–present
Notable work	Returner (2002) Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005) Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007) Space Battleship Yamato (2010) The Eternal Zero (2013) Stand by Me Doraemon (2014) Parasyte: Part 1 (2014) Lupin III: The First (2019) Stand by Me Doraemon 2 (2020) Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Spouse	Shimako Satō ​ (m. 2012)​
Awards	Academy Award for Best Visual Effects Japan Academy Film Prize for Director of the Year Japan Academy Film Prize for Screenplay of the Year
Signature

Takashi Yamazaki (山崎 貴, Yamazaki Takashi, born June 12, 1964) is a Japanese filmmaker and visual effects supervisor. Known for his blockbusters with advanced visual effects, Yamazaki is considered a leading filmmaker in the Japanese film industry.^[1] He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, eight Japanese Academy Awards, five Nikkan Sports Film Awards, two Hochi Film Awards, and an Asian Film Award. His films have collectively grossed over $523 million worldwide.^[2]

Yamazaki developed an interest in filmmaking and visual effects after watching Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (both 1977).^[1] He started working at visual effects studio Shirogumi in 1986 before creating his first features: Juvenile (2000) and Returner (2002). He achieved both critical and commercial success in Japan by directing film adaptations of popular anime, novels, and manga, including Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005), Space Battleship Yamato (2010), The Eternal Zero (2013), and Stand by Me Doraemon (2014). The latter two films both earned a total of nine awards at the 38th Japanese Academy Awards. Yamazaki's career further advanced with Parasyte (2014), Fueled: The Man They Called Pirate (2016), The Great War of Archimedes (2019), Dragon Quest: Your Story (2019), Lupin III: The First (2019), and Stand by Me Doraemon 2 (2020).

His 2023 kaiju epic, Godzilla Minus One, was met with near-universal acclaim and became the most successful Japanese Godzilla film of all time. Yamazaki and the film's visual effects team also became the first Japanese crew ever to receive the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. In 2024, Yamazaki was included in Gold House's annual list of 100 Most Impactful Asians.^[3]