is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

film director, special effects and makeup effects artist, and a screenwriter who has worked predominantly in the horror genre. Nishimura has been described as "a legendary director and effects artist" and "the

Tom Savini Thomas Vincent Savini (born November 3, 1946) is an American prosthetic makeup artist, actor, stunt performer and film director. He is known for his makeup and special effects work on many films directed by George A. Romero, including '' Marti ...

of Japan" with "talent to burn".

Life and career

Nishimura, born on April 1, 1967, had been interested in film from childhood but a major influence on his career was a painting by

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in ...

with distorted human bodies that he saw when in elementary school. He majored in law in college. Nishimura has said that he doesn't watch much television or movies but reads horror magazines and gets much of his inspiration from his dreams. He started making films while in junior high school by teaching himself about filming, lighting, special effects and modeling. In 1995 with a small crew he made the independently produced movie ''Anatomia Extinction'' (Genkai jinkō keisū). Nishimura wrote the screenplay, directed, and did the special effects. The film was shown at the

Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival The , also sometimes called YIFFF, is held in a resort-like environment in the small town of Yūbari on the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaidō. From 1990 to 1999, the festival was known as the Yubari International Fantastic Adventure Fi ...

in February 1995 where it won a Special Jury Award. The film would later form the basis for '' Tokyo Gore Police''. For several years, Nishimura did special effects and special makeup effects for a number of movies including the controversial thriller from

Sion Sono Sion may refer to * an alternative transliteration of Zion People * Sion (name) or Siôn, a Welsh and other given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Shion or Sion, a Japanese given name Pla ...

, '' Suicide Club'', and

Noboru Iguchi (born June 28, 1969) is a Japanese film director, screenwriter and actor. He has worked as a director in adult video (AV) as well as in the horror and gore genres. Life and career Iguchi was born on June 28, 1969. In an interview he said he was ...

's 2003 comedy-romance-horror . In 2005, he did the special effects for the science fiction horror film directed by

Yūdai Yamaguchi is a Japanese film director who has worked mainly in the comedy and horror genres. He has "made a name for himself by mixing goofy gore with manga-esque escapades and plain utter weirdness". Life and career Yamaguchi was born in 1971 and attend ...

and Jun'ichi Yamamoto. One review of the film says "the makeup and special effects that the film is sold on are solid. Produced on a very meager budget, the make-up appliances look great." Nishimura worked with

again in 2008 when he was in charge of special effects and makeup effects for the low-budget action and gore film ''

The Machine Girl is a 2008 Japanese action comedy horror film written and directed by Noboru Iguchi, and starring Minase Yashiro, Asami, Kentarō Shimazu and Honoka. The plot follows an orphaned Japanese schoolgirl whose life is destroyed when her brother is ...

''. When he finished ''The Machine Girl'', Media Blasters, the USA distributors of the DVD, asked if he wanted to do another movie. He decided to do a re-make of his earlier short film ''Anatomia Extinction'' from 1995 and created the science fiction horror movie '' Tokyo Gore Police''. Nishimura co-wrote the screenplay, directed the movie, did the special make-up effects and modeling, and had a small cameo role as well. Nishimura said that one difference was that as director, he could no longer take naps during breaks as he could when he was only concerned with special effects. In 2009, he did the makeup effects on '' Samurai Princess'' (also called ''Samurai Princess: Devil Princess'') for director Kengo Kaji, and also on director Kōsuke Suzuki's ''Stop the Bitch Campaign''. For the 2009 production of , Nishimura teamed with Naoyuki Tomomatsu as co-director and with fight choreographer Taku Sakaguchi who had previously worked with Nishimura on ''Tokyo Gore Police'' and ''Meatball Machine''. The movie had its world premier at the

New York Asian Film Festival The New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) is a critically acclaimed film festival held in New York City, dedicated to the display of Asian Film Culture. The New York Asian Film Festival generally features contemporary premieres and classic titles ...

on June 26 and opened in Japan August 15, 2009. Nishimura started his own effects company based in Tokyo, Nishimura Eizo Co., Ltd. Partnering with visual effects company Studio Buckhorn and Studio HigeMigane in 2010, it became part of Pabaan: The Image Production Group. In 2010, Nishimura co-directed '' Mutant Girls Squad'' with

and

Tak Sakaguchi is a Japanese actor, director, fight choreographer, stuntman and martial artist. He is best known for his role in Ryuhei Kitamura's cult film, ''Versus''. Since his debut, Sakaguchi has worked with Kitamura several times, often appearing alo ...

, as well as directing the action/horror film '' Helldriver'', his first solo directing duty since "Tokyo Gore Police." The same year, he created the special effects for '' Horny House of Horror'', starring AV starlets Asami, Mint Suzuki, and Saori Hara. In 2011, Nishimura directed the "Killer" music video for Osaka rock band . Nishimura directed the music video for Ena Fujita's June 2018 single "Ienai Koto wa Uta no Naka". It was released in two versions as the uncensored one was banned from TV due to its gore. Nishimura then expanded the music video into the October 2019 feature film ''Welcome to Japan: Hinomaru Lunch Box'', which Fujita also stars in.

Credits

as a Director * ''Welcome to Japan: Hinomaru Lunch Box'' (2019) * ''Ienai Koto wa Uta no Naka'' (

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

for Ena Fujita) (2018) * '' Meatball Machine Kodoku'' (2017) * '' The Ninja War of Torakage'' (2014) * '' Zombie TV'' (2013) * '' The Profane Exhibit'' (segment "The Hell Chef") (2013) * '' The ABCs of Death'' (Segment "z is for Zetsumetsu") (2012) * '' Gekijo-ban: Harapeko Yamagami-kun'' (2010) * ''

The Ancient Dogoo Girls ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' (TV Series-1 Episode "Yokai: Sukinshippu) (2010) * '' Helldriver'' (2010) * '' Mutant Girls Squad'' (2010) * '' Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl'' (2009) * '' 63-fun-go'' (short) (2009) * '' Tokyo Gore Police'' (2008) * '' Meatball Machine: Reject of Death'' (Short) (2007) * '' Speakerman: The Boo'' (2004) * '' Anatomia Extinction'' (1995) * ''

Sham Nation Sham may refer to: Arabic use * Al-Sham or Shām (شام), the historical name for the Greater Syria region, now most commonly known as the Levant or the eastern Mediterranean, including the modern countries of Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel ...

'' (1987) * '' Seija ga machi ni yatte kita'' (1986) * ''

The Face The face is a part of the body, the front of the head. Face may also refer to: Film * ''The Magician'' (1958 film) or ''The Face'' * ''The Face'' (1996 film), an American television film * ''Face'' (1997 film), a British crime drama by Antoni ...

'' (short) (1985) * ''

Paradox A paradox is a logically self-contradictory statement or a statement that runs contrary to one's expectation. It is a statement that, despite apparently valid reasoning from true premises, leads to a seemingly self-contradictory or a logically u ...

'' (Short) (1984)

Awards

*1995 Special Jury Award Off Theatre Competition: ''Anatomia Extinction'' (Genkai jinkō keisū)

Fant-Asia Film Festival Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcor ...

*2009 3rd Place Guru Prize For Most Energetic Film *2008 Best Asian Film: ''Tokyo Gore Police'' Cyber Horror Awards *2008 Nominee for Best Film: ''Tokyo Gore Police'' *2008 Nominee for Tom Savini Award for Best Makeup: Yoshihiro Nishimura

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nishimura, Yoshihiro Japanese film directors Japanese screenwriters 1967 births Horror film directors Living people Special effects people Japanese make-up artists