Kosai Sekine

Director Kosai Sekine’s sophisticated and witty sensibility is evident throughout all his work. His outsized creativity and storytelling stands poised at the crest of a new wave of branded and interactive content in Japan’s creative community. Armed with outstanding skill and sensibility, he has produced a variety of high-profile films that have gained attention in both Japan and abroad. He has a very keen sense in synchronizing sound and image, and is one of JKD Collective’s top and leading creators.

Sekine made his debut in 2005 with the much-talked-about “Right Place,” a darkly humorous yet compassionate slice of life short film about a man with OCD. The following year he won the Young Director Grand Prix award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for his work on “Daughter,“ a TV spot for the Raindance Film Festival. He is known for marrying an unbiased, borderless worldview with verité-style images and grounded perceptions of Tokyo and Japan. His innovative direction and creative use of symbols in portraying a neo-futuristic Tokyo for the music video Maledict Car, a collaboration with Jemapur and W+K Tokyo Lab, were a hit on the global creative scene. In 2010, he directed Nike Music Shoe for W+K Tokyo in collaboration with breakbeat unit HIFANA, and creative technologists Rhizomatiks. The groundbreaking campaign redefined the power of branded content, and took Silver in the Film Craft category at the Cannes Lions. It was the second year in a row that Sekine received a Silver at the Lions, cementing his status as a director of international repute.  Sekine resides in Tokyo and is currently involved in a wide range of projects including TV spots, web films, music videos, and short films.  ”Sound of Honda / Ayrton Senna 1989″ won 5 gold at Cannes Lions 2014.