Hirobumi Watanabe

Hirobumi Watanabe, born in 1982 in Otawara, Tochigi Prefecture, is a prominent figure in the Japanese film industry. He graduated with a degree in Japanese literature before honing his filmmaking skills at the Japan Academy of Moving Images. His graduation project, the 41-minute film *The Light Pig of August* (*Hachigatsu no Karui Buta*), garnered significant acclaim, winning the Grand Prix at the Fuji Film Lovers Festival among other accolades.

In 2013, alongside his brother Yuji, a film composer, Watanabe co-founded Foolish Piggies Films in their hometown. Their inaugural production marked Watanabe's feature film debut, *And the Mud Ship Sails Away...*, which was showcased at the 26th Tokyo International Film Festival and received international screenings before its Japanese theatrical release in December 2014. His follow-up project, *7 Days*, earned the Best Film award in the Japanese Cinema Splash section at the 28th Tokyo International Film Festival, and he also won the Nippon Vision Jury Award at the 17th Nippon Connection festival.

Watanabe has consistently produced at least one film annually, collaborating with his brother Yuji for soundtracks and Bang Woo-hyun for cinematography. In his 2020 film *I’m Really Good*, Watanabe took on the role of cameraman for the first time, marking a personal transition as it was the first project not featuring his late grandmother, who passed away at 102. After nearly a decade of collaboration with a familiar team, Watanabe's career is poised for new directions.