Sabu (director)

Hiroyuki Tanaka (Japanese田中 博 树, Hiroyuki Tanaka, born November 18, 1964 in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan) is a popular, especially abroad, director and actor, better known by his stage name Sabu. This he used, since he played a known Yakuza with just that name.

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His first appearance as an actor was in 1986 in the comedy " Sorobanzuku " which was nominated for the Japanese Film Awards among others, for the screenplay. In this film he played a small supporting role.

1991 has been assigned to him in his second film as an actor the lead role. The English title of the film is " World Apartment Horror" and brought Sabu a prize for Best Newcomer a.

His first big success came Sabu with his film " Dangan Runner ," in which he directed, wrote the screenplay and took a supporting role. This film showed the direction in which Sabu's films were aimed: "Small " People are in his films often the heroes who get caught up in the most unlikely situations. This Sabu focused on a mixture of comedy and tragedy. In addition, Sabu was invited to film festivals outside of Japan since this film quite often.

He was invited for his first film " Dangan Runner" among other things, the 1997 Berlin Film Festival ( the " Panorama" ) and 1999 on the Fantasy Film Festival " Fanta Porto " in Portugal. Because he had success with his movie in Berlin, he was also invited in the following years several times to the Berlin Film Festival.

In 1997, the second film was released under his direction entitled " Postman Blues". This film is about a postman who is suspected due to unfortunate coincidences by the police as a terrorist and will be prosecuted without his knowledge of this.

Followed in 1998 by his third film " Unlucky Monkey", which, however, yielded less success than his previous works.

In 2000, Sabu was the third time at the Berlinale. There his latest film "Monday " was in the " Forum " presented, which won two awards.

2002 Sabu presented the film " Drive" at the Berlinale, which with some - was occupied well-known actors - especially in Japan. This year also " Blessing Bell " came out, which in turn was shown in Berlin in 2003. Followed in 2004, " Hard Luck Hero", a promotional film for a Japanese boy - pop band called " V6 ".

" Shisso " ran at the 2006 Berlin International Film Festival in the " Panorama". Sabu adapted for this purpose a novel by the author Kiyoshi Shigematsu. The film is a Sabu film surprisingly serious and sad. From Humor embossed sites, which often occurred in his earlier works, are as good as not included. It was also criticized that towards the end too many things were still inserted, thereby " Shisso " much of its "magic" lose.

Sabu's " Kanikosen " was shown in 2010 at the Berlinale in the Forum and is the film adaptation of workers literary classic by Takiji Kobayashi ( 1929), who suddenly became a bestseller was 80 years after publication, the economic crisis- ridden Japan in 2008.

Besides the realization of its own ideas Sabu also played occasionally in films again a role, such as in " Ichi the Killer" by director Takashi Miike.

Sabu attacks for his films often return to the same actor, so Shin'ichi Tsutsumi played in the first five of the nine previously released movies starring Sabu. Ren Osugi, which is better known as the seated in a wheelchair cop in " Hana -Bi ", also played in five films. Susumu Terajima even starred in seven films. Especially Ren Osugi, Susumu Terajima and are very well-known actor in Japan.

Works

Director

• Dangan Runner ( 1996)
• Postman Blues ( 1997)
• Unlucky Monkey (1998)
• Monday (1999)
• Drive (2002)
• Blessing Bell ( 2002)
• Hard Luck Hero (2003)
• Hôrudo appu daun (2005)
• Shisso (2005)
• Kanikosen (2009)

Actor

• Sorobanzuku (1986)
• World Apartment Horror ( 1991)
• Zeiramu 2 (1994 )
• 800 Two Lap Runners ( 1994)
• Dangan Runner ( 1996)
• Katte ni shiyagare! Gyakuten keikaku (1996 )
• Do not Look Up ( 1996)
• Postman Blues ( 1997)
• Ichi the Killer ( 2001)
• Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (2003)