Kosai Sekine and the Art of Simplicity

Here is something cool that I pulled out of my files. A super cool friend of mine, Chris, showed me Kosai Sekine a couple of years ago and I have come back to his videos every now and then because they are awesome. First, his bio thanks to his site because I am too impatient to put it into my own words and restate what his site says so well.

Born 1976.

Kosai majored in philosophy at Tokyo's Sophia University, but his interest in film brought him abroad to the United States, to learn the basics of photography and film production.

He graduated from Sophia in 2000 and in that same year entered the commercial production company SPOON Ltd. After working as production manager, he signed with HAT Co., Ltd. in 2002 with the aim of becoming a director.

In 2005, his script won the competition for the short-film showcase presented by JAC held at the Asia-Pacific Advertising Festival and was selected as the Japanese representative director. Though it was his first direction, the short "RIGHT PLACE" was highly praised throughout the world, winning him with 'Best Foreign Film Award' at the New York City Short Film Festival, as well as 'Diesel Film of the Festival Award' at the Raindance Film Festival.

"RIGHT PLACE" also appeared at festivals such as ResFest and onedotzero, etc. Shots selected him as a member of "Shots New Directors", an honorable title dedicated to the world's best newcomer directors.

Kosai, having been invited to do the opening film for the Raindance Film Festival, directed "Daughter" with the sponsorship of Diesel. He was awarded in 3 categories, including the Special Jury Award 2006 (Grand-Prix), at Young Directors Award 2006 in Cannes International Advertising Festival presented by SHOTS and CFP-E, an unprecedented number of awards to be achieved in the same year in the history of the festival.

He is ranked 1st in the 'New Director' category of 2006 advertising ranking reported by SHOTS.

Kosai has directed various commercials and is currently broadening his director activities globally. He can be reached at 'hybrid' in Japan as well as the following foreign productions and agents worldwide.

Here are two of his most well-known video "Right Place" and "Daughter" (per the bio above). What I love about it is the minimalist sort of simplicity. That could just me being snobby or trying to be pretentious, but I am not meaning to be! I swear! I just like the limited use of dialog, the colors and the OCD side to it. This is a great video that will make you smile unless your heart is made of stone or coal or doo doo. Hope you like the music and quirkiness of it!

Right Place

Daughter

I just wish I was able to move like that and be so so fresh!  I love when the old lady is walking by and everything slows down.  Rad to the maximus!  Alright, enough with the exclamat!on points and on with my evening.