Shohei Imamura
Awards & Honours
22
Awards Won
3
Honours
2
Rankings
4
Covers
2
Records
Shohei Imamura's achievements are historic. He is the only Japanese director to win the Palme d'Or twice, a feat matched by only a handful of directors worldwide. His film Black Rain won the Cannes Jury Prize, and The Insect Woman earned the Best Actress award at Berlin. Domestically, he won multiple Mainichi Film Awards for Best Film and Best Director, as well as Japan Academy Prizes and Kinema Junpo Awards. In 2004, he received the Order of the Rising Sun, one of Japan's highest civilian honors, and in 2005, the Asian Film Awards gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Awards
Honours & Distinctions
Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd Class
National honor for contributions to Japanese cinema.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Recognized for his enduring impact on Asian cinema.
Founder of the Yokohama National University Film School
Established a film school to mentor a new generation of Japanese filmmakers.
Rankings & Lists
Sight & Sound Greatest Films of All Time (Critics' List)
Only Japanese director to win the Palme d'Or twice
Magazine Covers
Cahiers du Cinéma
1983
The Ballad of Narayama issue
Cahiers du Cinéma
1997
The Eel issue
Kinema Junpo
1964
The Insect Woman cover
Kinema Junpo
1983
The Ballad of Narayama cover
Records & Feats
Only Japanese director to win the Palme d'Or twice
Won the Cannes Palme d'Or in 1983 for The Ballad of Narayama and in 1997 for The Eel.
First Japanese director to win two Palme d'Or awards
Achieved this milestone in 1997, a record that still stands.