Takashi Yamazaki

is a Japanese filmmaker and visual effects supervisor. Known for his blockbusters featuring advanced visual effects, Yamazaki is considered a leading figure in the Japanese film industry. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, eight Japanese Academy Awards, five ''Nikkan Sports'' Film Awards, two Hochi Film Awards, and an Asian Film Award. His films have collectively grossed over worldwide.

Yamazaki developed an interest in filmmaking after watching ''Star Wars'' and ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' (both 1977). He started working at visual effects studio Shirogumi in 1986 before creating his first features: ''Juvenile'' (2000) and ''Returner'' (2002). Yamazaki achieved both critical and commercial success in Japan by directing film adaptations of popular anime, novels, and manga, including ''Always: Sunset on Third Street'' (2005), ''Space Battleship Yamato'' (2010), ''The Eternal Zero'' (2013), and ''Stand by Me Doraemon'' (2014); the latter two films both earned a total of nine awards at the 38th Japanese Academy Awards. Yamazaki's career later advanced with ''The Great War of Archimedes'', ''Dragon Quest: Your Story'', ''Lupin III: The First'' (all 2019), and ''Stand by Me Doraemon 2'' (2020).

His 2023 ''kaiju'' epic, ''Godzilla Minus One'', became the most successful Japanese ''Godzilla'' film of all time. Yamazaki and the film's visual effects team also became the first Japanese crew ever to receive the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. In 2024, Yamazaki was included in Gold House's annual list of 100 Most Impactful Asians. Provided by Wikipedia