Though he isn't a household name in the States, those who follow international film are already well aware of writer-director Hirokazu Koreeda, who began his career as a documentary filmmaker before transitioning to narrative features in the mid-'90s and making a name for himself on the festival circuit. His moving human dramas, frequently centered on themes of family, immediately set him apart from his peers and earned him comparisons to legendary director Yasujiro Ozu. In 2013, his film Like Father, Like Son took home the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, where his movies have consistently earned widespread acclaim, and in 2018, he finally won the coveted Palme d'Or for Shoplifters, which also went on to be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.
We spoke to Koreeda ahead of the film's scheduled release to find out what prompted this change and what it was like working with Catherine Deneuve, but first, he gave us his Five Favorite Films.
