Born in Tokyo in 1918, Takeo Kimura debuted as an art director in 1945. In the six decades since, he has worked on more than 230 films. His most famous association is with Seijun Suzuki during his 1960s peak at the Nikkatsu studio, when he made 1966's "Tokyo Nagaremono (Tokyo Drifter)" and the next year's "Koroshi no Rakuin (Branded to Kill)" — films that outraged studio executives with their wildly surreal visual flights but have since become cult classics.
In 2004, Kimura launched a new career as a director, shooting four short films that led to the production of "Yume no Mani Mani (Something Like a Dream)," his first feature film, in 2008.
In person, Kimura flows with a fast, never-ending stream of quips and anecdotes. But he is also passionate about the themes of his new film, particularly the still vivid pain of a war now six decades in the past.