Known for Directing
Sion Sono (園 子温 Sono Shion, born December 18, 1961) is a Japanese filmmaker, author and poet. Best known on the festival circuit for the film Love Exposure (2008), he has been called "the most subversive filmmaker working in Japanese cinema today".
Born
December 18, 1961 (age 64)
Birthplace
Toyokawa, Aichi, Japan
Filmography
176 films, 18 shows
Prisoners of the Ghostland
2021 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
In the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town, a ruthless bank robber is sprung from jail by wealthy warlord The Governor, whose adopted granddaughter Bernice has gone missing. The Governor offers the prisoner his freedom in exchange for retrieving the runaway. Strapped into a leather suit that will self-destruct within five days, the bandit sets off on a journey to find the young woman—and his own path to redemption.
Red Post on Escher Street
2020 · 2h 28m
country: Japan
Drafted to shoot a new film, Tadashi Kobayashi, a director with festival marketability, is strong-armed by the studio into hiring two famous actresses as leads. The cast of self-unaware weirdos that constitute the budding players become increasingly overwhelmed and emboldened until they stage their own micro-revolution.
State of Emergency
2020 · 3h 2m
country: Japan
An omnibus film consisting of 4 short films and a documentary related to COVID-19.
The Lonely 19:00
2020 · 38m
country: Japan
A new and more contagious virus emerged after COVID-19 and forced Japan to live an even more severe self-restraint. During the time of COVID-19 it was necessary to maintain a social distance of 2 meters, with this new ferocious virus the distance had to be of at least 50 meters. Otomi was born inside his house and has never been outside. One day he hears a strange noise and leaves the house for the first time in his life.
The Forest of Love
2019 · 2h 31m
country: Japan
A con man and a would-be filmmaking crew force themselves into the lives of two grief-scarred young women. But nothing is as it seems.
The Bastard and the Beautiful World
2018 · 1h 51m
country: Japan
The Bastard and the Beautiful World is an omnibus film consisting of four episodes. Fujiko is running as fast as she can, being chased after by a creepy masked man called Mad Dog. They meet a talented pianist on the way. A mysterious relationship develops between Utagui, a little girl who eats songs to live and an artist who can't sing anymore. A married couple sets off on a journey to find the right arm of their dead son. As they finally reach a beach in Okinawa, they find? Bastards come together on a night dancefloor for a show.
Tokyo Vampire Hotel
2017 · 2h 22m
country: Japan
Manami is captured by blood thirsty trigger happy vampires, and taken to their hotel, where they keep prisoners as future meals. They are all instructed to find a partner to survive, when a vampire clan from Transylvania interferes.
Antiporno
2017 · 1h 16m
country: Japan
Kyôko, a traumatized young Japanese girl, finds herself struggling with her self-confidence in her adult life. Growing up in a family without her mother and her sister, she constantly questions the rationale of sex and the notion of liberty in modern Japanese society.
Shinjuku Swan II
2017 · 2h 13m
country: Japan
Tatsuhiko relocates from Shinjuku to Yokohama, where he comes into conflict with Masaki Taki, CEO of the local scout company.
Madly
2016 · 1h 45m
country: Argentina
Madly explores love in all its permutations in six short films from a vibrant group of filmmakers representing Japan, Argentina, the UK, the US, India, and Australia. All forms of love are on display in this anthology. And all manners of feelings expressed from jubilance to depression are done so strongly.
The Whispering Star
2015 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
A feminine android delivers packages to scattered humans throughout the galaxy. With years to spare, the android and us have time to contemplate the meaning of being human.
The Virgin Psychics
2015 · 1h 55m
country: Japan
Shy high schooler Yoshirō and his friends mysteriously develop psychic powers, leading to chaotic and often erotic comedic situations as the virginal ESP teens try to understand their new gifts.
All Esper Dayo! ~The Lust-filled Love Wars~
2015 · 1h 7m
country: Japan
Web adaptation of All Esper Dayo! manga featuring an original story.
Love & Peace
2015 · 1h 57m
country: Japan
A man, who once dreamed of becoming a punk rocker, is working as a low salaryman at a musical instrument parts company. He's secretly in love with his colleague. One day, he finds a little turtle on the rooftop, naming it Pikadon.
Shinjuku Swan
2015 · 2h 19m
country: Japan
Shiratori Tatsuhiko works as a scout for talent agency Burst in Kabukichō, Shinjuku's red light district, recruiting young girls for the adult entertainment industry. In a business where money means everything, Tatsuhiko finds himself in a constant struggle between rival scouts and the Yakuza.
Tag
2015 · 1h 25m
country: Japan
As the sole survivor of a horrendous and rather mysterious accident, teenage Mitsuko's day is off to a bad start. An unstoppable force of nature, a doomed field trip, and a strange case of amnesia easily coexist in a bizarre parallel universe, where a desperate Mitsuko is always on the run from something inexplicable, intangible, and utterly deadly. However, amid piles of fresh corpses, mounds of scorching bullet shells, and rivulets of fragrant adolescent blood, Mitsuko must fight to stay alive, before her already messed-up day becomes even stranger. But one question still remains: who or what is the enemy?
All Esper Dayo! Special Edition - Esper, Go to City
2015 · 52m
country: Japan
High school student Yoshio Kamogawa suddenly gained the power to read other people's minds. One day, he receives mail from Sae Asami in Tokyo asking for his help. Yoshio Kamogawa loves Sae Asami. Yoshio Kamogawa goes to Tokyo and infiltrates the high school where Sae Aami attends. Yoshio Kamogawa then becomes involved in a strife between 3 different groups as he tries to save Sae Asami. Shizuka Tachibana also falls in love with Yoshio Kamogawa.
Tokyo Tribe
2014 · 1h 56m
country: Japan
In an alternate Japan, territorial street gangs form opposing factions collectively known as the Tokyo Tribes. Merra, leader of the Wu-Ronz tribe of Bukuro, joins forces with heavy-hitting gangster Buppa of Buppa Town. With Buppa's support, Merra aims to initiate a gang war between the Wu-Ronz and the Musashino Saru, and in a confrontation between the two attempts to kill Kai of the Musashino Saru. The inadvertent murder of Kai's friend Tera (a Musashino Saru member beloved by all Tribes since before their formation) leads to the joining of forces between all of the Tribes in an all-out war against Merra and Buppa.
Why Don't You Play in Hell?
2013 · 2h 10m
country: Japan
In Japan, gonzo filmmakers hatch a three-pronged plan to save an actress's career, end a yakuza war and make a hit movie.
Venice 70: Future Reloaded
2013 · 2h
country: Italy
Made for the Venice Film Festival's 70th anniversary, seventy filmmakers made a short film between 60 and 90 seconds long on their interpretation of the future of cinema.
The Land of Hope
2012 · 2h 13m
country: United Kingdom
An old couple, their only son, the son's wife, a young man and his lover live peacefully in a village. Then, a terrifying earthquake strikes that causes a nearby nuclear station to explode. The residents must evacuate, but the family lives on a farm, with only half of the area designated as an evacuation area.
BAD FILM
2012 · 2h 41m
country: Japan
Near the end of the 20th century on Tokyo's Chuo train line, just before Hong Kong's return to Chinese control, masses of people go on a rampage, and love runs wild.
Tokyo Gagaga
2012 · 33m
country: Japan
Interview with the director that includes scenes from gang war in tokyo.
Himizu
2012 · 2h 10m
country: Japan
Two 14-year-olds from troubled, abusive homes come together sharing misery and pain. In the aftermath of an earthquake, the classmates learn how to survive while relying on one another for emotional and physical support.
Guilty of Romance
2011 · 2h 25m
country: Japan
While police investigate a woman found dead in a derelict love hotel, a romance novelist's wife lives a life that seems simply a daily repetition without romance. To escape the loveless monotony, she follows her desires and becomes a nude model. Soon, she meets a mentor and begins selling her body to strangers, while at home, she hides behind the façade of the doting wife.
Cold Fish
2011 · 2h 26m
country: Japan
When fish shop owner Shamoto's teenage daughter Mitsuko is caught stealing, a generous middle-aged man named Murata helps resolve the situation. The man and his wife offer to have Mitsuko work at their opposing fish store. Shamoto soon discovers that something far more sinister lives behind Murata's friendly demeanor.
Be Sure to Share
2009 · 1h 49m
country: Japan
Shiro's struggle with his father's cancer and impending death leads to a realization that he must communicate his love and admiration for him before it's too late. A series of flashbacks reveals their relationship over time, and the trouble Shiro faced connecting to his strict father who was also his teacher and soccer coach. With a consuming secret of his own, Shiro, now in his late twenties and about to get engaged, must eventually learn how to share the pain of it with his loved ones.
Make the Last Wish
2009 · 1h 49m
country: Japan
Koike Minami returns from USA to Japan to accomplish her deceased twin sister's wish to win a competition and sing with Avril Lavigne on the stage in a concert in Tokyo.
Love Exposure
2008 · 3h 57m
country: Japan
The story of a teenage boy called Yu, who falls for Yoko, a girl he runs into while operating for the sake of sin as an upskirt photographer in an offshoot of the porn industry. His attempts to woo her are complicated by a spot of cross-dressing - which convinces Yoko that she is lesbian - dalliances with kung-fu and crime, and a constant struggle with the guilt that's a legacy of his Catholic upbringing.
Exte: Hair Extensions
2007 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
An aspiring hairdresser becomes the infatuation of a tricophilic man who sells hair extensions to nearby salons. The source is the corpse of a girl whose corpse continues to grow beautiful, voluminous, black hair that comes alive, either driving the extension user insane or killing them.
Balloon Club Revisited
2006 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
Mitsuko Murakami puts the passion to balloon in the hot-air balloon Circle "Airheads". The club gathered young people holding a variety of thoughts. But "Airheads" is disbanded not too long. Five years after their time in the Balloon Club ended, the members' former club leader brings them back together and rekindles old flames.
Strange Circus
2005 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
The erotic novelist Taeko is writing a morbid story of a family destroyed by incest, murder and abuse. Her assistant, Yuji, sets on a mission to uncover the reality of this story, but the reality might be too much to bear.
Hazard
2005 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
Shin is a Japanese university student living a boring and meaningless life. One day, he spots a book titled Dangerous Ways to Walk the World, in which he finds a page written about hazards in New-York. Eager to get out, he jets off to New-York to find this inspiration.
Noriko's Dinner Table
2005 · 2h 39m
country: Japan
A teenager named Noriko Shimabara runs away from her family in Toyokawa, to meet Kumiko, the leader of an Internet BBS, Haikyo.com. She becomes involved with Kumiko's family circle, which grows darker after the mass suicide of 54 high school girls.
Into a Dream
2005 · 1h 43m
country: Japan
Low-profile theatre troupe actor Mutsugoro Suzuki begins an oneiric journey home, marked by his quest to find the one responsible of infecting him with a STD.
No-Pants Girls: Movie Box-ing2
2004 · 51m
country: Japan
No Pants Girls is a 3 segment film directed by Sono Sion, Shô Tsukikawa and Reiko Saito. They deal with girls discovering sexuality, through their innocent eyes. The actors and actresses are the same in the three films.
When I Grow Up
2004 · 23m
country: Japan
In this short film by Sion Sono, three school girls struggle to finish a homework assignment due to their blossoming desires. The child actors are swapped out for adults for the more risque moments.
Sion Sono Fantasia Short Film Collection
2004 · 1h 52m
country: Japan
An omnibus drama directed by the genius Sion Sono. Popular idols such as Sakura Mizutani and Yoko Mitsuya will appear, and a fantastic and mysterious story will unfold. Includes Chapter 1 "Woman in the Viewfinder", Chapter 2 "No Memory Woman", Chapter 3 "Virtual Love", and Chapter 4 "Love Doctor".
No Memory Woman
2004 · 32m
country: Japan
One day, when Mami (Yoko Mitsuya) wakes up in a strange room ... Beside her is a strange man, Yu (Ryosuke Watabe). Eventually Mami and Yu fell in love. Her younger sister Sato (Nahana) is worried about Mami who has lost contact. Sato consults with her boyfriend. However, Sato's boyfriend was Yu.
Virtual Love
2004 · 25m
country: Japan
Nana (Jun Natsukawa) and her colleague Mei (Moe Yoshizawa) spend time in a virtual world with a man and sell their love memories. The next Nana customer is Mitsuru (ERIKU). Nana begins to fall in love with Mitsuru even though she knows she is virtual. But her litigation is a virtual world. Mitsuru in the real world was just a man.
Love Doctor
2004 · 30m
country: Japan
Lily (Aya Fujimoto) and Kiki (Mai Nakajima) of "Love Doctor", a work that fills the lonely and sad hearts of men in the world who have fallen ill with love. Lily took pride in her work and gave all the men energy and brilliance. However, Lily also had a gap in her mind.
Woman in the Viewfinder
2003 · 25m
country: Japan
Photographer Suga (Kenji Mizuhashi) aiming to win the photo contest and Lulu (Sakura Mizutani), a girl who works as a model. Two people who are drawn to each other while maintaining the relationship between the photographer and the model. One day, a mysterious woman, Sayoko (Yoko Kashiwagura), appears in the viewfinder of Suga. Eventually, Suga and Lulu win the long-awaited victory.
Father's Day
2003 · 13m
country: Japan
Two girls and their partners want to visit their father to celebrate Father's Day. However, instead of happy meeting, they will be forced to experience inexplicable things.
Suicide Club
2001 · 1h 39m
country: Japan
When the bizarre mass suicide of 54 high school girls throwing themselves in front of a subway train appears to instigate a string of suicides around the country, Detective Kuroda strives to find the answer, which isn't as simple as he had hoped.
0cm⁴
2001 · 22m
country: Japan
Maeda decides to have an operation to cure his color-blindness, but he becomes afraid that after the operation, his world is not going to be the same.
Utsushimi
2000 · 1h 48m
country: Japan
While butoh master Akaji Maro is in rehearsal and fashion designer Shinichiro Arakawa prepares for the Paris collection, Sion begins a movie about a high school girl who falls in love... with a restaurant cook she's never even spoken to. Soon the artists' works come together in a race to help the girl's love.
Teachers of Sexual Play: Modelling Vessels with the Female Body
2000 · 1h
country: Japan
About a pottery workshop run by Ms. Namie. Her students want to become as skilled as her, and she teach them that the key to good pottery is love.
Phallus: The Man
1998 · 58m
country: Japan
A wordless series of special situations involves a gay cop who encounters ambiguous, erotic games and sex between strangers.
Wind
1998 · 27m
country: Japan
A girl living with her grandma in the countryside has a strange dream. When she goes to school the next day, she finds out everybody else had the same dream.
I Am Keiko
1997 · 1h 1m
country: Japan
Keiko Suzuki is a lonely waitress in Tokyo. Her father passes away of cancer and she becomes obsessed with the passage of time. And so, three weeks before her 22nd birthday, she decides to record this period of time in the most accurate way possible, regardless of how lonely or banal this record ends up being.
Vagina & Virgin
1995 · 8m
country: Japan
Vagina And Virgin is more an experimental work from which you may have an idea how Sono thinks about the relationship of vagina and virgin.
The Room
1993 · 1h 32m
country: Japan
A quiet killer is looking for a room. The real state agent, shy and expressionless, guides him through Tokyo, towards the ruins the decadent economy has left behind, in hopes of finding The Room.
Bicycle Sighs
1990 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
Shiro and Keita didn’t manage to enter university and are stuck in their hometown delivering newspapers. Shiro persists on finishing a film they started, but Keita is not very enthusiastic.
Reflect on That Boys
1989 · 41m
country: Japan
The only AV work directed by Sion Sono. Komachi and Reimi start getting wet in search for a man.
Decisive Match! Girls Dorm Against Boys Dorm
1988 · 1h 42m
country: Japan
A world-class marathon becomes the catalyst of clashes between the guests of a women’s and a men’s dormitory. Armed with toy machineguns and pistols, the young people challenge each other in a breathless race through the city streets. For one of the girls, the battle ends on the beach, where she watches an amazing event take place.
A Man's Flower Road
1987 · 1h 50m
country: Japan
A story of the restrictions of family life, the desire to break free, restlessness, helplessness and the fear of becoming an adult.
Love
1986 · 31m
country: Japan
A young man dressed as a samurai walks along a road lined with flowering cherry trees. Then, no longer in costume, he talks with the camerawoman who is filming him, he writes a date and an hour (May 1, 1985, 10 a.m.) on a blackboard and then bursts out in rage at the fact that his girlfriend, Hiromi, has been missing for three days. A few moments of their love story are retraced, before returning to the gloomy desperation of the young man, who walks into the darkness of a night illuminated by neon signs and goes into a long monologue of love, directed at the girl.
I Am Sono Sion!
1985 · 35m
country: Japan
Sono's first film, 30 minutes long and shot on 8mm. A free-wheeling intimate cinematic journal in which the artist contemplates his life as he approaches his birthday.
Love Song
Love Song
1984 · 10m
country: Japan
Accompanied by the insistent shrilling of an alarm clock and by two love songs, a young man struggles to wake up.