Kaneko Yurina is a Japanese film director born in Tokyo in 1995. She developed an interest in filmmaking while studying at the College of Image Arts and Sciences at Ritsumeikan University.

In 2018, she was selected from approximately 200 applicants to direct the short film Projection, starring Ito Sari. The work was included as one of 15 segments in the omnibus project 21st Century Girl, curated and produced by Yamato Yuki.

She gained further recognition in 2019 with her independent film The Wandering Plants, which received awards at the Pia Film Festival and was screened at several international film festivals, including the Nippon Connection Film Festival in Germany, the Seoul International Women’s Film Festival, and the Hong Kong Fresh Wave Short Film Festival. Her debut feature-length film, The Sleeping Insect, won the Grand Prix at MOOSIC LAB.

In 2023, Kaneko directed her first commercial feature, People Who Talk to Plushies Are Kind. The film was showcased at major festivals such as the Osaka Asian Film Festival and the Shanghai International Film Festival, and earned her the Best Up-and-Coming Director award at the 15th TAMA Film Awards.

(Source: UniJapan.org) Edit Biography