Sion Sono was born in Toyokawa City, Japan. Prior to becoming a filmmaker, Sono made his debut as a poet at the age of 17 and began making 8mm films when he enrolled at Housei University. In 1985, his 30 minute short Ore wa Sono Sion da! was screened in competition at the prestigious Pia Film Festival, and two years later, he won the Grand Prize for Otoko no Hanamichi. His second feature, The Room (1993), won the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in Tokyo and went on to screen at 49 international festivals including Berlin and Rotterdam. His credits include 0cm4 (2001), Utsushimi (2000) and Suicide Club (2001), which won the 2001 Fantasia Festival Grand Jury Prize for Most Groundbreaking Film. Noriko’s Dinner Table (2006) won a special award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and Hair Extensions (2007) was also highly acclaimed.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and emerging. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
