Junya Satō

Junya Satō 佐藤 純彌 Satō Junya 6 November 1932 9 February 2019 was a Japanese film director and screenwriter His son Tōya Satō 佐藤 東弥 Satō Tōya is also a film director Born in Tokyo Satō graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1956 with a degree in French literature He joined the Toei studio and worked as an assistant to such directors as Tadashi Imai and Miyoji Ieki He debuted as a director in 1963 with Rikugun Zangyaku Monogatari for which he won a best newcomers award at the Blue Ribbon Awards While starting in mostly yakuza film Satō eventually became known for big budget spectaculars The Go Masters a ChinaJapan coproduction he codirected with Duan Jishun won the grand prize at the Montreal World Film Festival in 1983 He won the Japan Academy Prize for Director of the Year in 1989 for The Silk Road