Michihito Fujii

Fujii was born in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.{{cite web |author1=Chiaki Nakamura |title=映画「新聞記者」や「余命10年」を撮った新世代の監督・藤井道人の原点とは |url=https://dot.asahi.com/articles/-/220511?page=3 |website=Aera.dot. |publisher=Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2024-04-27}} His older sister is Rumi Yoshida, a picture book author.{{cite web |title=藤井道人:けむりのまち 第八回『ほしとすな』一問一答 |url=https://eyescream.jp/culture/137207/ |website=eyescream |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2024}} His father was a banker and his mother a travel agent. Soon after he was born, they moved to New York City due to his father's job transfer and he lived in Manhattan until he was 4 years old. His grandfather was a doctor from Tainan, Taiwan,{{cite web |title=藤井道人監督がひと目惚れした"台湾の最高な役者"は誰？『青春18×2 君へと続く道』の台北記者会見をレポート |url=https://moviewalker.jp/news/article/1187090/ |website=moviewalker |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2024-03-14}} and an overseas Chinese who came to Japan. He started kendo at the age of three under the influence of his father, who was a kendo instructor.{{cite web |title=「映画作りは剣道の団体戦に似ている」映画監督・藤井道人さんインタビュー |url=https://bushizo.com/media/201807/2433/ |website=bushido |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2018-07-14}} Later, he moved to Nakano, Tokyo, and during his elementary and junior high school years, he attended Tokyo Shudokan in Nakano, where he worked hard at kendo and won second place in Tokyo in the fifth grade. When he entered high school, he was scouted as a special kendo student by a strong school, but the strong schools were all boys schools. Fujii wanted to enroll in a co-ed school, so he went to Rissho High School, the same school as his kendo instructor. After entering high school, he became interested in movies, and it was his habit to stop by the video rental shop in front of the local station every day after kendo club activities to rent one movie and go home.{{cite web |title=映画『余命10年』藤井道人監督にインタビュー、"一人の人間が生きた歴史を重ねた"ヒューマンドラマ |url=https://www.fashion-press.net/news/84533 |website=Fashion press |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2022-02-20}} At the time, his favorite films included Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Wong Kar-wai's Chungking Express, and Shunji Iwai's Swallowtail Butterfly.{{cite web |title=新しい試みをスマートに打ち出す次世代映画人の先鋒―藤井道人監督【CINEMA ACTIVE! 撮る人々】 |url=https://www.elle.com/jp/culture/movie-tv/a37714568/cinema-active-michihito-fujii-21-0929/ |website=ELLE |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2021-09-29}}

He later said that this feeling of "not understanding" was important to him, even though at the time he still did not understand much after watching many film works. He liked the screenplay for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which inspired him to become a filmmaker.{{cite web |title=『新聞記者』藤井道人監督インタビュー |url=https://www.tst-movie.jp/int/shimbunkisha-fujiikantoku20190604.html |website=トーキョー女子映画部 |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2019-06-28}} He originally thought of becoming a screenwriter.{{cite web |title=新しい試みをスマートに打ち出す次世代映画人の先鋒―藤井道人監督【CINEMA ACTIVE! 撮る人々】 |url=https://www.elle.com/jp/culture/movie-tv/a37714568/cinema-active-michihito-fujii-21-0929/ |website=ELLE |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2021-09-29}}

After he enrolled at Nihon University, he joined the film production club and spent his time making independent films, commercials, and music videos. In college, he studied under screenwriter Kenji Aoki.{{cite web |title=藤井道人 |url=https://eiga.com/person/255534/ |website=eiga.com |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2024}} According to Fujii, however, his scriptwriting did not improve much, and he eventually decided to pursue directing.{{cite web |title=映画監督「藤井道人」を 作り上げたものたち |url=https://www.sony.jp/professional/magazine/3Cs/3cs_session01/?srsltid=AfmBOopMb4xdFPqV32USxSC9NSDbs9LkTBhf_WI4bB8BIu74_NyBq4r0 |website=3C's Live |publisher=SONY |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2021-02-22}} He often ran short of money and relied on his seniors who worked in the video industry to earn money by getting making-of jobs from commercial production companies and working as an offline editor. He once considered becoming a music video director, inspired by Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze.{{cite web |title=『余命10年』は、映画ではなく一つの世界を作っているのかもしれない。 監督・藤井道人インタビュー。 |url=https://baycrews.jp/feature/detail/5001 |website=baycrews |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2022}} He did not find a job after college and thought he could make it as a freelancer in the video industry, but he had no work at all during his first year. In 2010, he founded the film production company Babel Label with his college friends. After the company was established he worked anything related to video, including direct-to-video, television advertisement, music video and variety shows, in order to make money, in addition to producing his independent films.{{cite web |title=藤井道人 |url=https://www.mbs.jp/jounetsu/2022/02_20.shtml |website=Jounetsu Tairiku |publisher=Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc. |access-date=2024-10-12 |date=2022-02-20}} According to Fujii, television advertisement and music videos are approached differently than films, and he believed that there were many directors who were better than he was, so he did them solely to earn money for his films.

Fujii made his commercial directorial debut in 2014 with the film Oh! Father. The film is based on a novel by Kotaro Isaka, and Fujii was initially involved as a screenwriter, he was a stand-in for a director who left halfway through. However the film failed at the box office.{{cite web |title=Oh! Father (2013) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2957250/?ref_=bo_se_r_1 |website=boxofficemojo |access-date=2024-10-13}} According to Fujii, he was unable to give precise instructions to his staff, whose average age was in the 50s. He lost confidence for a while and immersed himself in independent filmmaking for a while after this.{{cite web |title=【映画と仕事 vol.21】藤井道人監督が考えるプロの映画監督――「運」と「縁」と「恩」に導かれたジャンルレスな映画づくり |url=https://www.cinemacafe.net/article/2023/05/22/85313.html |website=cinemacafe |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2023-05-22}} Later in 2018 he returned to commercial films with We Are.

He said his twenties were a dark time for him, as he was not accepted by the world, and in 2016 he went to Taiwan, his grandfather's homeland, on journey of self-discovery and stayed in Taipei.{{cite web |title=藤井道人監督作品「青の帰り道」。新潟でリバイバル上映。 |url=https://things-niigata.jp/other/aono-kaerimichi/ |website=things-niigata |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2019-08-03}} There he met Toyoharu Kitamura ({{langx|ja|北村豊晴}}, {{lang-zh|北村豐晴}}), who introduced him to Taiwanese film workers. Fujii went to the production company that produced one of his favorite films, Monga, to ask them to let him make a film in Taiwan.{{cite web |title=チャン・チェン×藤井道人監督、「手を組んで数倍の効果を生み出せた」 映画『青春18×2君へと続く道』インタビュー |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2324951/full/ |website=oricon |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2024-04-30}} Producer Roger Huang ({{lang|zh|黃江豐}}), happened to be there at the time.{{cite web |title=『青春18×2 君へと続く道』日本台湾合作の切なさ究極のラブストーリー |url=https://diceplus.online/feature/410 |website=DICE+ |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2024-04-30}} Fujii did not get the job because he was still unknown at the time, but Roger later watched The Journalist and offered Fujii a chance to make 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days.

Fujii consulted actor Shinnosuke Abe about his frustration with his work Oh! Father, and together with Abe and actor Takayuki Yamada, they spent four years since 2013 working on the script for Day and Night. In 2018, Fujii received a call from producer Mitsunobu Kawamura, who saw dailies of Day and Night and asked him to direct The Journalist.{{cite web |title=藤井道人監督が語る 河村光庸プロデューサーの遺志を継ぐものとして挑んだ『ヴィレッジ』 |url=https://otocoto.jp/interview/ikenobe209/ |website=otocoto |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=April 22, 2023}} At first, Fujii turned it down twice because he was not interested in politics or social issues, but Kawamura did not give up after that and eventually asked him three times to direct the film, which he accepted.{{cite web |title=河村光庸から受け継いだもの 前編 藤井道人インタビュー |url=https://natalie.mu/eiga/column/517958 |website=natalie |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2023-04-07}} The movie The Journalist was released in 2019 to great response and won the 43rd Japan Academy Film Prize for Picture of the Year, and Fujii became famous as a film director. After The Journalist, he was able to make a living solely from his film work, and although he had previously introduced himself as a videographer, but after this, he began calling himself a film director. The film was adapted into a six-part TV series for Netflix distribution in 2022, which Fujii also directed.{{cite web |title=「新聞記者」米倉涼子、綾野剛、横浜流星、藤井道人監督が撮影裏話を語る！ スペシャル映像披露 |url=https://eiga.com/news/20220121/17/ |website=eiga.com |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese}} After this film, Fujii and Kawamura hit it off and worked together on A Family and The Village until Kawamura's death in 2022.{{cite web |title=映画プロデューサー・河村光庸さん死去 『新聞記者』『MOTHER マザー』など社会派作品多く手掛ける |url=https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0130662 |website=cinematoday |access-date=2024-10-13 |language=Japanese |date=2022-06-13}}

In 2022, The Last 10 Years was released.{{cite web |title=藤井道人監督が『余命10年』を語る！ 小松菜奈と坂口健太郎の「もっと」を引き出した"藤井組"への感謝 |url=https://www.banger.jp/movie/73783/ |website=banger |access-date=2024-10-13 |language=Japanese |date=2022-03-01}} In this film, Fujii spent a year filming the four seasons, expressing the feeling of the months and days as the seasons change.{{cite web |title=コラム：細野真宏の試写室日記 - 第163回 |url=https://eiga.com/extra/hosono/163/ |website=eiga.com |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2022-03-03}} The film was a smash hit,{{cite web |title=藤井道人監督『余命10年』ヒットも恋愛映画のオファーなし |url=https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0131231 |website=cinematoday |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2022-07-20}} grossing over $26 million in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Vietnam combined.{{cite web |title=The Last 10 Years (2022) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt16444750/?ref_=bo_se_r_1 |website=boxofficemojo |access-date=2024-10-12}}

In 2024, 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days was released.{{cite web |title=映画『青春18×2 君へと続く道』藤井道人監督×清原果耶×シュー・グァンハン、日台合作ラブストーリー |url=https://www.fashion-press.net/news/109995 |website=fashion press |access-date=2024-10-13 |language=Japanese |date=2024-05-02}} The film was a co-production between Taiwan and Japan. He said his dream of someday connecting with cinema across cultures and languages had come true. Fujii was 36 years old when he shot the film, the same age as the main character Jimmy. He said that this film was an opportunity for him to reflect on his life to date, and that he is proud to say that it is the beginning of the second chapter in his life as a director.{{cite web |title=藤井道人監督の作家性、恋愛映画の醍醐味、シュー・グァンハンの"素顔"…『青春18×2 君へと続く道』の魅力を徹底解説！ |url=https://moviewalker.jp/news/article/1195839/ |website=moviewalker |access-date=2024-10-13 |language=Japanese |date=2024-05-03}}

Fujii was so devoted to kendo that he practiced it 360 days out of 365 days a year from his childhood until he graduated from high school. In an interview about kendo and filmmaking, he said, "Filmmaking is similar to kendo team competition. Kendo is an individual sport, but the way we help each other in a group is similar to filmmaking."{{cite web |title=映画監督の藤井道人さんに聞く日台合作映画で描きたかった世界。 |url=https://www.1242.com/asanav/asanav_blog/20240419-316469/ |website=1242.com |publisher=Nippon Broadcasting System, Inc |access-date=2024-10-13 |language=Japanese |date=2024-04-19}} He said that the teachings of kendo naturally made him work with respect for others, and his rigorous training gave him patience, so he did not often felt hard to work as a film director. He used to be quite good at kendo, but according to Fujii, he is no longer able to do it because of an injury to his right leg in 2012.{{cite web |title=藤井道人:けむりのまち 第二回『ほしとすな』一問一答 |url=https://eyescream.jp/culture/128984/ |website=eyescream |date=March 15, 2023 |access-date=2024-10-13 |language=Japanese}}

He has been friends with actor Ryusei Yokohama since the 2016 release of Unrequited Love. At the time, neither Fujii nor Yokohama were yet successful. Since then, Yokohama appeared in Fujii's film We Are,{{cite web |title=横浜流星×藤井道人、『青の帰り道』から『ヴィレッジ』まで2人の軌跡を語るスペシャル映像 |url=https://www.cinemacafe.net/article/2023/03/23/84238.html |website=cinemacafe |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2023-03-23}} the music video for amazarashi's {{nihongo|On that night when I couldn't be the future|未来になれなかったあの夜に}},{{cite web |title=諏訪圏フィルムコミッション |url=http://www.suwafc.com/news/2714/ |website=横浜流星主演！amazarashi 『未来になれなかったあの夜に』 MV 長野県 のロケ地を一部紹介！！ |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese}} and DIVOC-12, a Netflix TV series The Journalist,{{cite web |title=横浜流星、Netflix版『新聞記者』新場面カット 藤井道人監督が託した思いとは? |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2220118/full/ |website=oricon |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2022-01-05}} which was shot at the COVID-19 pandemic. Fujii said that Yokohama is his favorite actor whom he has worked with since their indie days, and "Just as Akira Kurosawa has Toshiro Mifune and Kiyoshi Kurosawa has Koji Yakusho, if I need a young actor, I would be the first to join forces with Ryusei Yokohama."{{cite web |title=横浜流星と藤井道人を結ぶ固い絆「2人の関係に名前をつけるなら"兄弟"」 |url=https://lp.p.pia.jp/article/news/215156/index.html?detail=true |website=pia |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2022-01-13}} Fujii also said that at times, "I feel like Ryusei is a part of my body,"{{cite web |title=藤井道人:けむりのまち 第五回『ほしとすな』一問一答 |url=https://eyescream.jp/culture/132521/ |website=Eyescream |date=June 15, 2023 |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese}} and that he will work with him from the script development because he understands that he will perform as expected.{{cite web |title=横浜流星と藤井道人が『正体』撮影現場で見せた絆の深さ |url=https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0144597 |website=cinematoday |access-date=2024-10-12 |language=Japanese |date=2024-08-26}}

=== Music videos ===

• "Uruubito" by Radwimps{{cite web |title=RADWIMPS、映画『余命10年』主題歌「うるうびと」藤井道人が監督務めるMV公開 映画主演の坂口健太郎も出演 |url=https://realsound.jp/2022/03/post-986505.html |website=realsound |access-date=2024-10-14 |language=Japanese |date=2022-03-12}}
• "Celebration" by Ukaskazy{{cite web |title=『Celebration』by ウカスカジー |url=https://babel-pro.com/works/%e3%80%8ecelebration%e3%80%8f-by-%e3%82%a6%e3%82%ab%e3%82%b9%e3%82%ab%e3%82%b8%e3%83%bc/ |website=Babel Label |access-date=2024-10-14 |language=Japanese}}
• "To the Future" by Naoto Inti Raymi{{cite web |title=ナオト・インティライミ「未来へ」MV完成、家族の成長映し出す |url=https://natalie.mu/music/news/172275 |website=natalie |access-date=2024-10-14 |language=Japanese |date=2016-01-13}}
• "The World" by Haruka to Miyuki
• "How to start" by HUSH{{cite web |title=怎麼開始的 |url=https://babel-pro.com/works/hush-%e3%80%8e%e6%80%8e%e9%ba%bc%e9%96%8b%e5%a7%8b%e7%9a%84%e3%80%8f-mv/ |website=Babel Label |access-date=2024-10-14 |language=Japanese}}
• "On that night when I couldn't be the future" "Swipe" by amazarashi{{cite web |title=amazarashi"未来になれなかったあの夜に"フルPVに濱津隆之、コバソロら |url=https://www.cinra.net/news/20191120-amazarashi |website=cinra |access-date=2024-10-14 |language=Japanese |date=2019-11-20}}{{cite web |title=amazarashi×横浜流星×藤井道人監督が3度目のタッグ、新曲「スワイプ」MVティザー公開 |url=https://www.billboard-japan.com/d_news/detail/124257 |website=billboard japan |access-date=2024-10-14 |language=Japanese |date=2023-04-19}}
• "Now and Then We" by Kaya Kiyohara{{cite web |title=清原果耶、1st Single「今とあの頃の僕ら」MV公開！監督は初主演映画と同じく藤井道人が担当！ |url=https://popscene.jp/news/046984 |website=popscene |access-date=2024-10-14 |language=Japanese |date=August 11, 2020}}
• "Worst You Just Dumped Me" by Misako Uno{{cite web |title=宇野実彩子（が新曲「最低な君にさっきフラれました」配信 初のドラマ仕立てMVについて「ケンカのシーンは壮絶でしたね」 |url=https://dot.asahi.com/articles/-/81798?page=1 |website=Aera dot |publisher=Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc |access-date=2024-10-14 |language=Japanese |date=2020-11-10}}
• "Familia" by millennium parade{{cite web |title=映画『ヤクザと家族 The Family』主題歌 "FAMILIA"の MV(藤井道人監督作)公開！主演・綾野剛、市原隼人、磯村勇斗ら出演 |url=https://screenonline.jp/_ct/17426368 |website=screenonline |access-date=2024-10-14 |language=Japanese |date=2021-01-20}}

• Golden Moment (2014 American Express){{cite web |title=「2人をつなぐ」がコンセプトのショートムービー公開 アメックス「ゴールド・カード」キャンペーン |url=https://www.j-cast.com/trend/2014/12/25224135.html |website=j-cast |access-date=2024-10-13 |language=Japanese |date=2014-12-25}}
• Modern Samurai Isao Machii Cuts Many Objects with "Iaido" Sword Strokes (2015 SoftBank Group){{cite web |title=ソフトバンクの侍、エビフライやオレンジを高速で一刀両断！のPR動画公開 |url=https://www.advertimes.com/20150514/article192010/ |website=advertimes |access-date=2024-10-13 |language=Japanese |date=2015-05-14}}
• Hoiku hiroba "Sunrise" (2016 Neo-career){{cite web |title=保育士転職支援サービス「保育ひろば」TV-CM2016年1月23日（土）からオンエア開始 |url=https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000029.000011666.html |website=prtimes |access-date=2024-10-13 |language=Japanese |date=2016-01-23}}
• For Busy Dads (2016 Wacoal){{cite web |title=お父さんは、家族のためにがんばっているから。 父の日は、新しいアンダーウェアをプレゼント |url=https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000228.000009664.html |website=prtimes |access-date=2024-10-13 |language=Japanese |date=2016-05-09}}
• Pokémon Sun and Moon - Train on. (2016 Nintendo){{cite web |title=『ポケットモンスター サン・ムーン』ジブンを超えよう。 |url=https://2016.tiff-jp.net/ja/lineup/works.php?id=327 |website=東京国際映画祭 |access-date=2024-10-13 |language=Japanese |date=2016}}
• Love begins with an after-school chime (2018 Ymobile)
• Shiseido Recipest (2019 Shiseido){{cite Instagram |title=資生堂レシピスト |user=michihito_fujii

|postid=Bzey51Hj36i |date=2019-07-04}}

• Pure Potato Potato Chips (2024 Koikeya){{cite web |title=横浜流星が分厚く生きる、藤井道人とピュアポテト新CMでタッグ「至福な時間でした」 |url=https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/593208 |website=natalie |access-date=2024-10-13 |language=Japanese |date=2024-10-01}}

{{notelist-ua|2}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://babel-pro.com/member/fujii/ Michihito Fujii] - Babel Label
• [https://meteora-pro.com/artists/%e8%97%a4%e4%ba%95%e9%81%93%e4%ba%ba/ Michihito Fujii] - Meteora (in Japanese)
• {{IMDb name|id=5706837}}

{{Japan Academy Film Prize for Director of the Year}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fujii, Michihito}}

Category:1986 births

Category:Living people

Category:Japanese film directors

Category:Nihon University alumni

Category:People from Tokyo

Category:People from Shibuya

Category:Japanese animated film directors