Kenji Maki

Movies

Go Seppuku Yourselves
Director of Photography
A man is tasked with assisting in the ritual suicide of a samurai who won't die without condemning the corrupt powers that be.
Shiver
Director of Photography
A music movie featuring a performance of Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble ‘Kodo’ and Koshiro Hino. Filmed entirely on Sado island.
Child of the Stars
Director of Photography
When Chihiro was a baby, she suffered from eczema. Her parents tried to find a cure, but nothing worked. Her father's co-worker then gave him some water from a strange religious group. Chihiro was miraculously cured by the water. Her parents began to follow the strange religion and became fervent followers. Chihiro is now in the 3rd grade of middle school and she faces changes in her life.
The Day of Destruction
Director of Photography
Seven years ago, a mysterious monster was found deep in a rural coal mine. Since then, rumors of a plague spread through the small town, and people experience an unexplainable mental illness. A young Shugendo practitioner goes missing only to resurface transformed, intent on exorcising the world from the monsters haunting it.
Theatre: A Love Story
Director of Photography
Nagata works as a writer and director for theater company Oroka. His work has not received positive responses and ticket sales has not increased. Making things worse, his relationship with the theatrical troupe is not good. Nagata feels lonely. One day, he sees a woman named Saki on the street. She is wearing the same sneakers as he is. Nagata talks to her. Saki is a university student and she dreams of becoming an actress. Nagata and Saki fall in love.
When My Mom Died, I Wanted to Eat Her Ashes
Director of Photography
When Satoshi was little, his mother Akiko always took good care of him. She was gentle, but mentally strong. However, two years ago she was diagnosed with cancer and now it's Satoshi's turn to comfort and care for her. However, despite his best efforts, she passes away. A year after Akiko's passing, Satoshi, his father Toshiaki and his older brother Yuichi start new lives. Around that time, Satoshi receives a present from his mother.
Every Day a Good Day
Director of Photography
A university student attends a Japanese tea ceremony near her house with her cousin. There she has the Japanese tea ceremony in her life and it's there for her during moments when she is sad or happy.
River's Edge
Director of Photography
Haruna Wakagusa is a high school student who lives with her mother. Ichiro Yamada is gay and Haruna’s classmate. He is bullied at school, but Haruna sticks up for Ichiro. They become intimate and Ichiro tells Haruna his secret. He found a dead body along the riverside. A new body is soon found.
The Sea of Trees
Camera Operator
In Japan's Aokigahara Forest, a troubled teacher meets a mysterious lost stranger who takes him on a life-changing journey of love and redemption.
The Black Square
Director of Photography
Zhao-ping, a young Chinese artist, lives in an artists’ community near Bejing with his Japanese girlfriend Hana. One day he sees a black square floating in the sky. When the object lands, a bewildered naked man appears from it. He looks Japanese, but he doesn’t know who he is, or where he came from. Zhao-ping takes him under his wing. Is it an alien visitor? Then how is it possible that everyone the stranger meets thinks they know him from somewhere?
砂漠の民カザック
Director of Photography
The Cossacks have left their beautiful wife and child behind. Every morning, he goes to work, and at night, when he comes home, he finds his wife and child. The man begins to feel that something is different. He can't sleep, he can't laugh, and he has no answers. One day, a woman chased by a suspicious foreigner runs into the cinema where he works. A few days later, by chance, he meets the woman again and decides to accompany her on her "last dangerous job", without knowing what is going on. During the short journey. The man is convinced that she is the answer to his life... The story could be seen as a dream of a Peter Pan man who wants to be a boy forever, but thanks to the characters and good performances of the lead actors, it is successfully made into a physical reality. The result is a bittersweet, "slightly older" boy meets girl story.