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

By Mark Schilling

Mark Schilling

Japan Correspondent

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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.

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