Asia Cinema Academy Kyoto, a cram school where you can learn about the film business and acting in earnest, will open at a Kyoto temple in November 2025! Kyotasu Co., Ltd. Press Release: October 6, 2025 “Asia Cinema Academy Kyoto,” a cram school offering in-depth study of the film business and acting, will open in November 2025 at a temple in Kyoto! We are recruiting for our first class with the goal of nurturing film producers who can be active on the world stage. Participants with no experience or from other industries are welcome. Kyotasu Inc. (Kyoto Prefecture; CEO: Daisuke Fusho), a Kyoto-based film company behind films such as “Sociology of Filipino Pub Hostess” and “Dousa Kitchen,” will open the “Asia Cinema Academy Kyoto” in Kyoto in November 2025.
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instruction from leading film professionals To acquire basic knowledge of the film industry and improve your technical skills, we invite guest lecturers from leading Japanese filmmakers, directors, screenwriters, technical staff, actors, and talent agencies, who share practical skills and ways of thinking. 2. Mutual learning across the boundaries of actors, screenwriters, directors, and producers Students in the “Actors’ Class” and “Planning & Producing Class” can attend each other’s classes free of charge, allowing for a broader
perspective on learning. It also allows students to expand their domestic and international networks for future creative endeavors. 3. Practical learning at a Kyoto temple The classroom is located at Seiganji Temple on Shinkyogoku Street in the heart of Kyoto. This temple is the birthplace of rakugo and is famous as a place for improving your art. You will come to class with a pure and pure mind every time. We also plan to create opportunities for participants to experience professional work involving our instructors and guests.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/165349/2/165349-2-ce6e910ba732801bd508342c37a79d72-2160×2700.jpg Guest Lecturer Masaaki Taniguchi (Film Director / Kyoto native) Yurina Kaneko (Film director / spent her college years in Kyoto) Makoto Ueda (CEO of Europe Kikaku, director, and screenwriter / born in Kyoto) Minami Goto (Film director / lives in Kyoto) Yusuke Fukada (Film director, producer, screenwriter / Kyoto native) Izumi Matsuno (Film director, sound engineer / Kyoto native) Hiroaki Yanagi (Film director / Kyoto resident) Toshihiro Takemura (Cinematographer / Kyoto native) Hinji Yazaki (Film director / currently developing in Kyoto) Mana Yasuda (Film director / screenwriter) Princess Ampol (Film director, screenwriter, producer) Yoshihito Shiraha (Film director) Kaoru Yoshida (Writer) Keisuke Tsushima (Director of Horipro)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/165349/2/165349-2-a6451c33fa288366e0186eac2f54d419-1407×1125.png Filmmakers scheduled to appear at Asia Cinema Academy Kyoto ■Comment from Kazuo Mitani (Academy General Producer) Once a thriving capital, Kyoto is one of the birthplaces of Japan’s traditional performing arts and a stage where new cultures and performing arts have flourished. Kyoto has played an important role in a variety of fields,
particularly in Noh, Kyogen, Kabuki, Japanese dance, traditional Japanese music, and rakugo. I have been involved in film-related planning and nurturing creators for many years, mainly in Tokyo. However, I would like to take this opportunity to fully engage in production and foster film-related talent in Kyoto, a city deeply rooted in the performing arts. I hope that Kyoto can produce actors, directors, screenwriters, and producers who can think about production from an Asian perspective, regardless of nationality or location. There are few places in Tokyo where you can learn film planning and production in earnest, so I encourage active participation from actors and screenwriters, as well as people from other industries interested in the film business. I look forward to meeting new people. ■Entry Period October 1st (Wed) – October 25th (Sat), 2025 ■Official homepage https://acak.jp/ ■SNS official account X：https://x.com/aca_kyoto Instagram：https://www.instagram.com/aca.kyoto/ Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/aca.kyoto?locale=ja_JP Online briefing session Anyone can watch the briefing video below. https://img.youtube.com/vi/2BwW7O2U8FU/sddefault.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BwW7O2U8FU
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https://deview.co.jp/Article?am_interview_id=1402&am_ko2=pickup Digi Style Kyoto [Seiganji Temple] “Asia Cinema Academy Kyoto” opens in the birthplace of Rakugo!
https://www.digistyle-kyoto.com/magazine/53542 Guest Lecturer Profile ▶Masaaki Taniguchi Born in Kyoto in 1966. Graduated from the Film Department of Nihon University College of Art. In 1989, his graduation project, “Yoko’s Move,” won the Best 16mm Film Award at the Pia Film Festival. He subsequently worked as an assistant director on the sets of directors such as Yoshitaro Negishi, Kazuyuki Izutsu, Hideyuki Hirayama, and Tetsuo Shinohara. He made his feature film directorial debut with “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” (2010, Riisa Naka), which won the New Director Award at the 32nd Yokohama Film Festival and was invited to the Shanghai International Film Festival and the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. He subsequently released films such as “Diffused Reflection” (2011), “Signal: Monday’s Luca” (2012), and “Father’s Heart” (2014). His television drama “Hostage Reading” (2014, WOWOW, Ryuta Sato) won two special awards at the 55th Monte Carlo Television Festival: the Monaco Red Cross Award and the SIGNIS Award, and was nominated for the 43rd International Emmy Award. “Mothers” (2014/Chukyo TV/Shigeru Muroi) won the Grand Prize at the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association Awards and the Excellence Award at the Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival Awards. “Mothers 2015: A 17-Year-Old Mother” (2015/Chukyo TV/Shigeru Muroi and Nana Kiyono) won the Excellence Award at the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association Awards. “Aquarium Girl” (2016/NHK/Mayu Matsuoka) won the Encouragement Award at the Galaxy Awards. “A Person Begging for Love” (2017/Yomiuri TV/Ryoko Shinohara) won the Excellence Award at the Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival Awards and the Excellence Award at the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association Awards, and was nominated for the Seoul International Drama Awards. “True Identity” (2022/WOWOW/Kazuya Kamenashi) won the Grand Prix at the MIPCOM Buyer’s Award for Japanese Drama and the Encouragement Award at the ATP Awards. His latest work is “The Path of Beasts Where Lila Blossoms” (2025/NHK/Anna Yamada). ▶Hitoshi Yazaki While studying film at Nihon University College of Art, he directed “Afternoon of the Wind.” It won the Yokohama Film Festival’s Independent Film Award and was invited to film festivals around the world, including Hong Kong and Edinburgh. His second film, “The March Lion,” also caused a sensation at international film festivals, including the Berlin Film Festival and the Rotterdam Film Festival, and was awarded the Luis Buñuel Golden Age Award by the Belgian Royal Family. From 1996, he spent two years in London as an artist overseas dispatched by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. In 2000, he released “The Girl Who Picks Flowers, The Girl Who Kills Insects,” set in London and starring Kawagoe Miwa. His directorial work includes “Strawberry Shortcakes,” based on a novel by Yumeno Kiriko and starring Ikewaki Chizuru, which won the Special International Jury Prize at the Barcelona Asian Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Paris Kinotayō Film Festival in 2007. In 2010, he directed “Sweet Little Lies,” based on a novel by Ekuni Kaori and starring Nakatani Miki and Omori Nao. In 2011, he directed “Unfaithful Pure Love,” based on a novel by Shindo Fuyuki and starring Kamon Yoko and Tsuda Kanji. In 2014, he starred in “Where the Sun Sits,” based on a novel by Tsujimura Mizuki and starring Mizukawa Asami and Kimura Fumino. In 2015, he starred in “XXX KISS KISS KISS,” starring Matsumoto Wakana, Kusano Kota, and others. In 2016, he won the Special Jury Prize at the Sakhalin International Film Festival for “Unaccompanied,” based on a novel by Koike Mariko and starring Narumi Riko, Ikematsu Sosuke, and Saito Takumi. In 2019, he won the Fantaland Grand Prize in the Humanity category at the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival and the Special Film Award at the Japan Film Critics Awards for “Still Life of Memories,” starring Ando Masanobu. In 2020, he starred in “Sakura,” based on a novel by Nishi Kanako and starring Komatsu Nana, Kitamura Takumi, Yoshizawa Ryo, and others. In 2025, “In the Case of Kanako Saotome,” based on the novel by Asako Yuzuki and starring Ai Hashimoto, Taishi Nakagawa, Anna Yamada, and others, will be released nationwide on March 14th at Shinjuku Piccadilly and other theaters. ▶Yurina Kaneko Born in Tokyo in 1995. In 2018, she was the only one selected out of 200 applicants for the “21st Century Girls” project produced by director Yuki Yamato, and directed the short film “Projection.” The following year, her short film “The Walking Plant” was selected for the Pia Film Festival 2019. She then participated in Moosic Lab 2019 and won the Grand Prix for “Sleeping Insects,” which focused on the themes of “the dead” and “voices.” In 2023, she made her commercial feature film debut with “The One Who Talks to Stuffed Animals is Kind.” This film has won numerous domestic awards for newcomers, including the New Director Award at the 33rd Japan Film Critics Awards and the Best New Director Award at the 15th TAMA Film Awards. It has also been officially selected for international film festivals, including the Asian Newcomer category at the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival, the Competition section at the 18th Osaka Asian Film Festival, the 27th Fantasia International Film Festival (Camera Lucida section, Canada), and JAPAN CUTS 2023 (USA). In the same year, his achievements were recognized and he was selected as a visiting director for the Berlin International Film Festival’s “Overseas Promotion of Young Japanese Directors” program, sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. ▶Makoto Ueda Born in Kyoto Prefecture in 1979. Playwright, director, and screenwriter. Representative of Europe Kikaku. He won the 61st Kishida Kunio Drama Award for the stage play “Come and Discover a New World.” He also won the 33rd Japan Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay for the film “River, Don’t Flow.” Recent works include the films “Rewrite” (screenplay), “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (screenplay for the Japanese version), and “The Tatami Room Time Machine Blues” (original story and screenplay), the TV dramas “Don’t Leap Through Time, Lovers” (screenplay) and “Magical
Renovation” (screenplay), the TV anime “Doraemon’s Birthday Special – Nobita and the Greek Cake Legend,” and the stage play “Ripley, Unfortunately, in Space” (screenplay and direction). ▶Minami Goto Born in Shizuoka Prefecture. After graduating from university, she traveled to the United States to study film production and script development at Columbia University’s Graduate Film School in New York. Last year, he wrote the screenplay and produced the feature film “Blue Imagine” directed by Matsubayashi Rei (which had its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and was subsequently screened and awarded at the Osaka Asian Film Festival and the Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival, among others). He is currently based in Kyoto, Shizuoka, and South Korea, and is developing his first feature film as a director. ▶Keisuke Tsushima Born in February 1964 in Nara Prefecture. Graduated from Nara Gakuen High School and the Faculty of Law at Kwansei Gakuin University. In April 1987, he joined Horipro Inc. and was assigned to the video division, working as an AD and AP for commercials, dramas, and variety shows. In April 1990, he was transferred to the Management Division 1. After serving as manager and chief manager, he was appointed general manager in April 2003. In June 2013, he was transferred to the Video Business Division. As an executive officer, he oversees all divisions involved in video production, including movies, dramas, variety shows, documentaries, commercials, streaming, and web videos. In June 2016, he was appointed director (in charge of video business). In June 2022, he was appointed director in charge of the video business, performance business (stage and musical production), and Cinema Communications (film investment), a position he holds to this day. ▶ Yoshida Kaoru Born in Hyogo Prefecture. Ph.D. in Literature. In 1997, he joined the Kyoto Film Festival Executive Committee Secretariat, serving as a staff member, producer, and secretary general. He currently works at Kyoto University. He is a part-time lecturer at Otemae University and Osaka University of Arts. His works include “Lake Country on the Silver Screen” and “Kyoto’s Picturesque Landscapes.” ▶Yusuke Fukada Combining cutting-edge technology with Asian sensibilities, he incorporates these into his multilayered works, featuring people at the mercy of society and systems. As a producer, he has worked on projects such as “Jonetsu Tairiku” and Netflix productions executive produced by Sylvester Stallone. He also served as co-director and producer on the Netflix original animation series “Tokyo Override,” where he led an international team spanning Japan, Thailand, and the United States. He studied filmmaking in France, Denmark, and the United States, and earned an MFA from the University of Southern California and a PhD in aesthetics from Kyoto University. He researches creativity in the digital age and the role of “chance” in artistic practice. Drawing on his experiences traveling between Japan, the United States, Asia, and Europe, he has developed a strong interest in stories of people caught between the systems, cultures, and identities shaped by traversing different languages and institutions. He explores stories of people living on the margins of society, working across fiction, documentary, and animation, from deeply personal stories to large-scale
world-building projects. ▶Princess Ampol Born in Manila, Philippines. Graduated with honors from Korea University’s School of Media and Business School in South Korea. She then began her career in film and design in South Korea and Tokyo. In 2021, he produced a short documentary focusing on footgolf players. In 2024, he wrote, directed, and produced the short film “Pasalubong,” which reflects the psychology of Filipinos living abroad. He is currently writing and directing the short drama “Halo Halo House.” He will continue to produce videos from his unique perspective, based in Asia. ▶Izumi Matsuno Born in 1982. While working in film production, he also works as a musician and freelance sound engineer. His directorial work includes “GHOST OF YESTERDAY” (PFF Special Jury Award, Planning Award). “I Can’t Say Goodbye” (TAMA NEW WAVE Grand Prix, Best Actress Award), etc. As a sound engineer, he has worked on many films, including “Happy Hour” and “Evil Doesn’t Exist” (directed by Hamaguchi Ryusuke), “Waiting for the Piano Player” (directed by Shichiri Kei), and “Black Cow” (directed by Tsuta Tetsuichiro). ▶Mana Yasuda Film director and screenwriter. Born in Nara Prefecture. Made her theatrical debut as director and screenwriter of “The Switch of Happiness” (2006), a film about a father-son electronics store owner starring Juri Ueno and Kenji Sawada. This film won the Special Female Director Award at the 16th Japan Film Critics Awards and the 2nd Osaka Cinema Festival Screenplay Award. He is also the director of original screenplays such as “36.8℃ Sanjuurokudo Hachibu” (2018) starring Mayu Hotta, “TUNA Girl” (2019) starring Fuka Koshiba, the short story “Tomorrow, I’m going to see the class” (2021) starring Reiko Kataoka, and “Mendo na People” (2023) starring Chinosuke Kataoka and Koji Matoba. Works in which he has been solely responsible for the screenplay include the films “Nekome Kozo” and “Kobe Residency”, NHK’s “Yashii Hana” (participated in the Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival), and Kansai Television’s “Osaka Loop Line Part 2 Ashihara Bridge Edition Dadada Yuutedon” (participated in the Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival). ▶Toshihiro Takemura Graduated from Doshisha University Faculty of Law. Joined Toei Kyoto Studio. Participated as a cinematographer in the works of Hideo Gosha, Eiichi Kudo, Kinji Fukasaku, and Kosaku Yamashita. After becoming
independent, he became involved in movies, dramas, and commercials. His work as an engineer includes the movie “Sekigahara”, camera operator “36.8℃”, “Fish’s Eye”, and “I’m going to see a class tomorrow.” ”, “Smoke to Urara”, “I AM JAM Pizza’s Planet in Crisis”, “Mendo na People”, “Jibutsu no Root”, “Yamato Takeru”, and the live-action part, “Someday’s Soumatou de (currently in production)”. Currently a member of the Japan Cinematographers Association. Part-time lecturer at Doshisha Women’s University. ▶Yanagi Hiroaki Born on August 27, 1980 in Gunma Prefecture. Spent his childhood in Ibaraki, Chiba Prefecture. Dropped out of Waseda University’s Faculty of Human Sciences. After working as an office worker at a general company, he entered the world of film production after attending Vantan Film and Image Academy. As a freelance assistant director, he studied under a number of directors including Keiichiro Yoshida, Takumi Igarashi, Kiyoshi Sasabe, Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, and director Tomohiko Yamashita. More than 100 participating scenes include the movies “ROOKIES – Graduation – Theatrical Version”, “Hanjiro”, “My Man”, “Hanamanma”, and the TV dramas “Taxi Driver’s Mystery Diary”, “Kasouken no Onna”, “Onihei Hankacho”, and “Kumiri Nizaemon”. Moved base to Kyoto in 2015. In 2021, he made his directorial debut in TV Asahi’s “Kasouken no Onna” season 21 episode 12. In 2024, he will be in charge of the 6th episode of “Kasouken no Onna”. His first full-length film, “Fujitsu no Root” won 16 domestic and international film awards, and will be released nationwide in 2025. ▶Yahito Shiraha Born in 1964 in Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture. Graduated from Nihon University College of Art, Department of Drama. He made his feature film directorial debut with “She’s Rain,” which was released in 1993. After that, “Noto no Hanayome” (2008), “Kobe Resident the Movie” (2015), and “Mama, Have You Eaten?” (2016) were officially screened at the San Sebastian International Film Festival and the Vilnius International Film Festival. Since then, she has continued to actively make films such as “Mitorishi” (2019), “Ashiya no Kyushoku” (2022), and “Sociology of the Filipino Pub Girl” (2023). The latest work “Michigusa Kitchen” will be released in November 2025. Member of the Japan Film Directors Association. ▶Kazuo Mitani Producer of the movie 24 Wards. After switching from the financial industry to the film industry, he worked on the movie Pacchigi! She joined the film company that produced many masterpieces such as “Hula Girl.” In 2009, while launching the film company “Eiga 24 Wards” (Kinema Junpo Kikaku), he also opened a school to train filmmakers. Over the past 16 years, it has produced over 15,000 actors and screenwriters. In 2018, she launched the much-talked-about film “21st Century Girls,” which spotlights the few female creators in the film industry, and the regional film series “Our Recipe Encyclopedia,” and has previously worked on “36.8℃ (starring Mayu Hotta),” “Summer, All Around the World” (directed by Eliza Ikeda), and “Mendo People” (starring Chinosuke Kataoka and Koji Matoba). Other recent projects and productions include
“Sociology of a Filipino Pub Girl,” “Blue Imagine,” “Rainy Blue,” and “Michigusa Kitchen.” In 2018, he joined KYO , a film company in Kyoto. In 2024, he established TORA International and began planning and developing films with an eye on Asia and acting as an agent. His books include “Actor’s Acting Training” and “Actor’s Textbook” (both published by Film Art Publishing), which total over 20,000 books in the series. PRESS素材 以下よりDLください
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tyYwO9FyryQM-nKfm2BE9TTIH1RvJazz?usp=drive_link Inquiry regarding PRESS release KYO (Kyotas) info@kyotas.co.jp