Martin Brundle
Sky Sports F1 Lead Analyst & OBE | Former F1 Driver | 1988 World Sportscar Champion | 6x RTS & 4x BAFTA Award Winner
Hirokazu Kore-eda
Palme d'Or–Winning Film Director | Shoplifters, Monster, Broker & The Truth | Founder, Bunbuku | One of World Cinema's Great Humanist Storytellers
Hirokazu Kore-eda is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of his generation, a master of intimate, humanist cinema whose Shoplifters won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. Across films like Monster, Broker, and Like Father, Like Son, he explores family, memory, and what makes life meaningful. Founder of the Bunbuku studio, he keeps pushing boundaries, from Cannes to science fiction. On stage, he shares a singular view of storytelling and the creative life.
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Hirokazu Kore-eda biography
Hirokazu Kore-eda is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers working today, an internationally celebrated Japanese writer-director whose tender, observational dramas have made him a defining voice in modern world cinema. Born in Tokyo in 1962 and a graduate of Waseda University, he began his career making television documentaries before turning to fiction, and that documentary sensibility, patient, humane, and attentive to ordinary life, still runs through everything he makes.
Entertainment speaker Hirokazu Kore-eda is best known for Shoplifters, which won the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Over three decades he has been a near-constant presence at the world’s great festivals, with films including Like Father, Like Son (Jury Prize at Cannes), Our Little Sister, The Third Murder, Broker, his first Korean-language film, and Monster, which won Best Screenplay at Cannes. His work has often been compared to that of the legendary Yasujirō Ozu for its grace and emotional depth.
Family, Memory, and the Mystery of Everyday Life
Kore-eda’s films return again and again to family, in all its chosen and complicated forms, to memory, loss, and the question of what makes a life meaningful. In 2014 he founded his own production studio, Bunbuku, through which he both directs his own work and mentors a new generation of filmmakers. His reach has grown steadily more international: he directed Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche in the French-language The Truth, created the Netflix series Asura, premiered his science-fiction feature Sheep in the Box in competition at Cannes, and directed a live-action adaptation of the acclaimed manga Look Back.
As a speaker, Hirokazu Kore-eda offers a rare and reflective window into the craft of storytelling and the creative life. He speaks on finding the universal in the intimate, the discipline of observation, directing across cultures and languages, and how cinema can help us understand one another. Audiences gain not only the perspective of a master artist at the height of his powers, but a thoughtful meditation on empathy, patience, and the stories that connect us.
Hirokazu Kore-eda Speaking Videos
Hirokazu Kore-eda on Still Walking | BFI Q&A
Conversation between Kore-eda Hirokazu and Chloé Zhao English Ver. | TIFF Lounge
Hirokazu Kore-eda Keynote Topics
Kore-eda has built his career on finding the extraordinary inside ordinary life. In this talk he reflects on how he shapes stories around family, memory, and small everyday moments, and why the most intimate, specific details are often the ones that resonate most universally. It is a rare look at the philosophy and craft behind some of contemporary cinema's most moving films.
Before his award-winning fiction, Kore-eda made television documentaries, and that grounding still shapes how he works with actors, non-professionals, and real locations. He explores the porous border between fact and fiction, the value of observation and patience, and how a documentary mindset can bring authenticity to any kind of storytelling.
Having directed films in Japanese, French, and Korean, with international icons and local newcomers alike, Kore-eda has become a model of truly cross-cultural filmmaking. He discusses what travels across languages and what does not, how he builds trust with collaborators from different traditions, and why human stories remain our most powerful common ground.
Through his Bunbuku studio, Kore-eda directs his own films while nurturing emerging filmmakers. He reflects on building a sustainable creative life and industry, the long apprenticeship behind mastery, and the responsibility established artists have to mentor those who follow, offering lessons relevant well beyond the world of film.
FAQs on Booking Hirokazu Kore-eda
Why Hirokazu Kore-eda?
Booking Hirokazu Kore-eda brings audiences face to face with one of the most respected filmmakers of the modern era. As the Palme d'Or-winning director of Shoplifters and the creator of acclaimed films such as Monster, Broker, and Like Father, Like Son, he offers a perspective on creativity, empathy, and storytelling that few living artists can match. His reflective, deeply human approach resonates far beyond cinema, speaking to anyone interested in how we understand family, memory, culture, and one another. Globally celebrated yet famously thoughtful and humble, he makes an unforgettable speaker for festivals, cultural events, corporate gatherings, and audiences who value artistry and ideas. To bring Hirokazu Kore-eda to your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
Did Shoplifters win the Palme d'Or?
Yes. Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda's 2018 drama about an unconventional family living on the margins of society, won the Palme d'Or, the top prize, at the 71st Cannes Film Festival. The film went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film and became one of the most internationally successful Japanese films of recent years.
What is Hirokazu Kore-eda's filmmaking style?
Hirokazu Kore-eda is known for quiet, humane, character-driven dramas that explore family, memory, and the texture of everyday life. His patient, observational style, shaped by his early career in documentary, has led critics to compare him to the revered Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu. Rather than relying on spectacle, his films find their power in small gestures, silences, and deeply felt human relationships.
What topics does entertainment speaker Hirokazu Kore-eda cover?
Hirokazu Kore-eda speaks on the art of storytelling, the relationship between documentary and fiction, directing across cultures and languages, and sustaining a creative life while mentoring new talent. His talks suit film festivals, cultural and arts events, universities, and corporate audiences seeking insight into creativity, empathy, and craft from a world-class artist. To book Hirokazu Kore-eda as a speaker, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Hirokazu Kore-eda as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Hirokazu Kore-eda as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Hirokazu Kore-eda's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Hirokazu Kore-eda or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Hirokazu Kore-eda speaking fee?
Hirokazu Kore-eda speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Hirokazu Kore-eda to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Hirokazu Kore-eda.
How can I contact Hirokazu Kore-eda?
We only work with Hirokazu Kore-eda on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Hirokazu Kore-eda and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Hirokazu Kore-eda speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Hirokazu Kore-eda for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Hirokazu Kore-eda for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Hirokazu Kore-eda is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Hirokazu Kore-eda for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
