Writer & directorTokyo, Japan
I make films to bridge the distance between people, cultures, and the lives we rarely see.
Working between Japan and the wider world, I use stories of isolation, relationships and lives shaped by technology to seek points of connection across different human experiences.
Masashi Kawamata is a Japanese screenwriter, director and producer. He graduated from Waseda University’s School of Political Science and Economics (PSE) and completed an MA in Screenwriting at London Film School.
He began directing with Brother, I’m Sorry, selected for the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, followed by Memories of the Sparks and the 40-minute mov. drama The Recipe of Light. He provided script support for Beyond the Fog, directed by Daichi Murase and screened at Nara, San Sebastián and Busan.
He writes and directs in Japanese and English, and has collaborated with Nicholas R. Zabaly on several projects. OUT (2026) is his feature directorial debut, which he directed, co-wrote and co-produced. He is Head of Creative at ANAMANA Japan.
Alongside filmmaking, he publishes fiction in Japanese and English, including serialized prose from OUT and the first chapter of JAPIEN.
OUT is selected for the competitive Official Section of Asian Film Festival Barcelona 2026, alongside Naomi Kawase’s Yakushima’s Illusion and Chung Ji-young’s My Name. Its screening is scheduled for 28 October.
Festival programmeKawamata is Head of Creative at ANAMANA Japan and contributed to the conception of its Japanese hub. His released series I Am Ai and KILL SWITCH KISS each comprise twenty episodes.
OUT had its world premiere as the closing-night film at the Independent Filmmakers Showcase in Los Angeles.
Festival programmeAlso selected in this section: Naomi Kawase’s Yakushima’s Illusion (2025) and Chung Ji-young’s My Name (2026).
Screenplay support · Directed by Daichi Murase
Interview by Melissa Izzet with Masashi Kawamata and Nicholas R. Zabaly.
Read interviewA profile of his language and screenwriting education, and the making of OUT.
Read profileKawamata’s film and creative production work also runs through KYNAMATICA.