Kurosawa Award Winner O Mipo Is ‘Making Up for Lost Time’ After Career Break to Raise Her Sons

Co-recipient of the 2026 Kurosawa Akira Award together with Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, Korean-Japanese director O Mipo was in an understandably upbeat mood when she met with Variety just before the award ceremony on Tuesday at Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel, under the aegis of the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival.

The award honors filmmakers of substantial achievement who represent the future of cinema. O certainly fits that description: Since her industry start as a script supervisor for director Obayashi Nobuhiko, she has accumulated a long list of awards and accolades, beginning with a prize for her short “Eye” at the 2002 Short Shorts Film Festival in Tokyo.

In 2005 her first feature-length screenplay, “The Sakai’s Happiness,” won the Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award. Based on this script, she directed her debut feature of the same title.

In 2010, her drama “Here Comes the Bride, My Mom!” which she also scripted, won the grand prize for the Shindo Kaneto Awards, which are given to promising directors by a committee of Japanese producers. Her 2014 drama “The Light Shines Only There” was Japan’s submission for the Academy Award for best foreign language film.

After releasing the 2015 drama “Being Good,” O stepped back from features to raise her two sons, though she directed a segment of the 2022 international anthology “Tell It Like a Woman.” She returned to features in 2024 with the coming-of-age drama “Living in Two Worlds” and followed with the 2025 eco-themed children’s drama “How Dare You?”

“When I heard that they were going to give me the award my first reaction was just pure surprise – or rather, disbelief,” O says. “I couldn’t believe it. I wondered if they’d made a mistake. But I gratefully accepted it, of course. I hadn’t really made any big movies up to that point. I was just so happy that they found me out of all the (directors) in Japan.”

The Japanese film industry, she says, is “overwhelmingly different” since she first entered the industry as a crew member in 1999: “There are a lot more female staff members now, and directors too. That’s definitely the biggest difference.”

Also, what she describes as “the system for making movies” has changed. “Back in the day, the industry was like a pyramid, with directors at the top. That was my mindset, too, back when I was working as part of the crew.”

Now, she explains, “It’s become pretty common for everyone to go through what you might call ‘respect training.’ In terms of rights, everyone is more or less on the same footing – or rather, in the same position.”

But while production of Japanese films has been rising – nearly 700 are now released annually – O says she “can’t help but feel that the overseas market hasn’t really taken off yet.”

“I have a desire for my films to be recognized overseas,” she adds, “but the Japanese films I always see at film festivals are just… a certain type. So I’d like to see many more films get that chance.”

She would also like to follow in the footsteps of Kore-eda Hirokazu, Hamaguchi Ryusuke and other prominent Japanese directors who have made films abroad. “I’m thinking of giving it a shot myself,” she says. “I have a tremendous – call it ambition, or maybe just interest – to do that. I get asked that a lot: ‘What do you think of working overseas?’ I just come out and say, ‘I want to go to Hollywood someday.’”

In addition to making movies, O has long worked as a director of TV commercials and makes no apologies for it. “I honestly don’t think there are any directors in Japan right now who are making a living solely from directing movies,” she says. “They have to do other things – like streaming, TV dramas, commercials, and all sorts of other work – because you really can’t survive just from movies.”

“I’ve had a bit of a hiatus for about three years now because of raising my kids, but now that I’m back and have returned to filmmaking, the amount of time I have to devote to movies is enormous,” she adds. “When you’re making a movie, it takes up a huge chunk of your time. So even if I get offers for commercials, I have to turn them down. Gradually the number of offers dwindles and things have gotten a bit bleak since I’m relying solely on movies. I find that really ironic, though.”

In Hollywood, she notes, directors are “usually paid a proper fee right from the planning stage, though I suppose it depends on the scale of the project. It’s part of the contract, but in Japan, the reality is that you don’t get a single yen at the planning stage. And that’s been the reality for a long time. I’m going through that kind of experience right now, too.”

Turning to the subject of AI, she notes that it “has already become an inseparable part of our lives, and that includes filmmaking.” On whether machines will replace human filmmakers, she says, “I don’t think it will come to that.”

“I tell my sons that it’s important to have a sense of self,” she adds. “To always keep asking yourself, ‘What do I think about this?’ – no matter what the situation is. Of course, it’s fine to consult with AI – in fact, doing so will lead to richer results. But I tell them it’s better to constantly keep asking yourself, ‘What do I really want to do?’ And I try to be mindful of that myself.”

She takes inspiration from her mentor Obayashi, who started as a director of experimental films in the 1960s and went on to helm the cult sci-fi hit “House” and enjoy a long career mostly outside the Japanese industry mainstream. “He was always boldly taking on challenges,” she says. “It’s all about taking on challenges, right? It’s a constant battle but those challenges are like nourishment.”

“‘House’ came out the year I was born – 1977,” she says. “That makes it a movie from nearly 50 years ago, but when young people watch it today, they’re absolutely blown away. I think it’s a film that will never lose its appeal.”

That sort of longevity appeals to her – and not only for films: She notes that Obayashi died at age 82, Kurosawa at 88 and Shindo Kaneto – the scriptwriter and director whose eponymous prize she won – at 100.

“I’m 49, so I still have half a century left,” she says. “Another 50 years, so I still have a long way to go. There was a gap in my career when I had children. But I’m making up for lost time. And with this [Kurosawa] award I feel I’m getting back on track.”