<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Shinya Tsukamoto was born in Shibuya, Tokyo on January 1st, 1960. He was fascinated by the Japanese cult TV series, "Ultra-Q", and shot his own Super-8 Films at the age of 14. Shinya took up painting in High School, where he cultivated an interest for plays. While attending the Fine Arts division at Nihon University, Tsukamoto created his own acting troupe where he wrote, directed, and acted. He worked for a commercial film studio after graduating, but this only lasted four years - Tsukamoto left his career in 1985 to start his troupe, "Phantom Theater."
In 1986, his filming talents were reincarnated with the 16mm "Futsuu Saizu No Kaijin." "Tetsuo", released in 1989, became an International hit, winning him a multitude of awards. His first mainstream film, "Hiruko, Yokai-Hunter", filmed in 1991, was produced and distributed by Shochiku, a major film corporation based in Japan. 1992 saw Tsukamoto's "Tetsuo II - Body Hammer," which won him eight awards worldwide. Both Tetsuo I and II have been theatrically released in many countries and its video sales have been demonstrating impressive performances in England, where it crowned the top of the charts.

Shinya Tsukamoto is not only a talented director, he also takes the role of a cameraman, editor, and actor. He has acted in Naoto Takenaka's "119" and Kaizo Hayashi's "The Most Terrible Time in My Life", among others.

In 1995, Tsukamoto finished "Tokyo Fist", which again received International acclaim, including an award at Sundance. He is currently working on a number of short films, but has larger visions for a move into Hollywood.<hr></blockquote>








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