Animation Conference 2026
How to Become an Anime Director
Overview
Director Kenji Kamiyama, one of the leading anime directors of the past quarter-century, whom ANIAFF Artistic Director Tadashi Sudo describes as “always taking on new challenges,” will join us as a guest.
Looking back at the works he has been involved in, we will trace his career path and explore how he became an anime director.
Speakers
Director
Kenji Kamiyama
Born on March 20, 1966, in Saitama, Japan.
After working on such films as Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (Sequence Director / 2000) and Blood: The Last Vampire (Screenplay / 2000), Kamiyama made his directorial debut with MiniPato (2002). He later served as director and series writer on the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series (2002–2005).
Beginning in 2017, he also began directing full 3DCG animation, working on titles including ULTRAMAN (2019) and Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 (2020).
In 2024, he worked with Hollywood on The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, which combined hand-drawn animation with 3D CGI and received a worldwide theatrical release. In August 2026, Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi, a series based on The Ninth Jedi, the episode he created for the 2021 anthology series Star Wars: Visions on Disney+, began streaming worldwide, with Kamiyama serving as story creator and supervising director.
Selected works include the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series, Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, Eden of the East, and Napping Princess.
Related Program
For the 2026 All-Night Screening, ANIAFF spotlights Kenji Kamiyama, one of the leading anime directors of the past quarter-century, whose work Artistic Director Tadashi Sudo describes as “always full of challenges and bold experimentation.”
The program features “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” which delivers breathtaking visuals through its fusion of hand-drawn animation and 3D CGI, along with a selection of works from Kamiyama’s early landmark series, “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.”
The talk event, titled “The World of Kenji Kamiyama: Anime, the Future, and Technology,” will explore Kamiyama’s creative ambitions, his day-to-day work, and his thoughts on both “depicting the future through anime” and “the future of anime.”
Joining him as a special guest will be Mitsuyasu Sakai, who wrote the screenplay for “The Ninth Jedi,” part of “Star Wars: Visions,” with Kamiyama serving as supervising director.
Don't miss this rare opportunity to hear fascinating behind-the-scenes stories, insights into upcoming projects, and much more!
For more details, please visit Programs > All-Night Screening: The World of Kenji Kamiyama.