Right Place

Director Kôsai 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. 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. In 2010, he directed the “Nike Music Shoe” campaign, in collaboration with breakbeat unit “HIFANA”, creative technologists “Rhizomatiks” and W+K Tokyo. This groundbreaking campaign redefined the power of branded content, and took the Silver Award 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. 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. Sekine resides in Tokyo and is currently involved in a wide range of projects including TV spots, webfilms, music videos, and short films. His clients include top brands Nike, Uniqlo, NEC, and Shiseido. With his signature inventive visual expression, Sekine continues to be a pioneer among Japanese directors. (by Bruce Ikeda)