Yoichi Sai

Yoichi Sai

Yoichi Sai (born 6 July 1949 in Nagano Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese film director. His mother is Japanese, His father is zainichi Korean. His 2004 film Chi to hone won four Japanese Academy Awards, including two for Sai himself, for Best Director and Best Screenplay. He had previously received two nominations in the same categories for Tsuki wa dotchi ni dete iru. In 1999 he shot Buta no mukui (The Pig's Retribution), a film set in the lavish natural scenery of Okinawa, inspired by the 1996 Akutagawa Prize-winning eponymous novel by Eiki Matayoshi. The film won the Don Quixote prize at Locarno International Film Festival in 1999. He won the award for Best Screenplay at the 11th Yokohama Film Festival for A Sign Days. As an actor, he appeared in Nagisa Oshima's 1999 film Taboo. He is the current president of the Directors Guild of Japan.   

  • Title: Yoichi Sai
  • Popularity: 0.5783
  • Known For: Directing
  • Birthday: 1949-07-06
  • Place of Birth: Nagano, Japan
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As: Choi Yang-il, Yang-il Choi, Yôichi Sai, Yohichi Sai, Yōichi Sai, 崔 洋一
img

Yoichi Sai Movies

  • 1999
    imgMovies

    Taboo

    Taboo

    6.56 1999 HD

    Set during Japan's Shogun era, this film looks at life in a samurai compound where young warriors are trained in swordfighting. A number of interpersonal conflicts are brewing in the training room, all centering around a handsome young samurai named Sozaburo Kano. The school's stern master can choose to intervene, or to let Kano decide his own path.

    img
  • 1994
    imgMovies

    N45゜

    N45゜

    1 1994 HD

    Omnibus film, set in a fictional town at 45゜N latitude: Wonder Rubbish; Pao-san to no fukushu; Jonetsu no koya; Kaze wa, dotchi ni fuite iru

    img
  • 1995
    imgMovies

    The Stairway to the Distant Past

    The Stairway to the Distant Past

    7 1995 HD

    Broke, with his vintage Nash convertible repossessed, private eye Mike Hama is reduced to combing the mean streets of the Yokohama waterfront on a borrowed bicycle. But when Lily, a beautiful stripper from out of Hama's past, returns to town, the fuse is lit on a criminal powder keg set to blow the lid off the Yokohama underworld.

    img
  • 2006
    imgMovies

    Route 225

    Route 225

    6 2006 HD

    Two kids, fourteen-year-old Eriko and her thirteen-year-old brother Daigo, suddenly find themselves trapped in a parallel universe. Most things are the same as in their own world, but their parents are missing from home and are only contactable when using one particular phonecard.

    img
  • 1993
    imgMovies

    All Under the Moon

    All Under the Moon

    5.8 1993 HD

    A Korean taxi-driver interacts both humorously and tragically with his customers and employers in '90s Tokyo.

    img
  • 2003
    imgMovies

    In the Realm of the Senses: Recalling the Film

    In the Realm of the Senses: Recalling the Film

    1 2003 HD

    Documentary about the making of Nagisa Oshima's 1976 film.

    img
  • 2004
    imgMovies

    Blood and Bones

    Blood and Bones

    6.5 2004 HD

    In 1923, teenager Kim Shun-Pei moves from Cheju Island, in South Korea, to Osaka, in Japan. Along the years, he becomes a cruel, greedy and violent man and builds a factory of kamaboko, processed seafood products, in his poor Korean-Japanese community exploiting his employees.

    img
  • 2009
    imgMovies

    Kamui

    Kamui

    6.083 2009 HD

    A rebellious ninja in 17th century Japan takes refuge with a fisherman and his family.

    img
  • 2009
    imgMovies

    Kamui

    Kamui

    6.083 2009 HD

    A rebellious ninja in 17th century Japan takes refuge with a fisherman and his family.

    img
  • 2004
    imgMovies

    Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog

    Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog

    6.8 2004 HD

    A Labrador retriever named Quill begins specialized training as a guide dog from an early age, then the canine is paired with a blind man who is initially reluctant to rely on his new partner.

    img
  • 2007
    imgMovies

    Soo

    Soo

    6.5 2007 HD

    Tae-soo tries to steal from a gang. The gang catches Tae-Soo's brother, Tae-Jin, instead. The incident causes the brothers to separate. Tae-Soo becomes a mob fixer and an assassin. Tae-Jin becomes a police detective. When a call brings the brothers together, they get ready for brotherly bonding, but Tae-Jin gets killed. Tae-Soo decides to get revenge on his brother's killer.

    img
  • 1983
    imgMovies

    The Mosquito on the Tenth Floor

    The Mosquito on the Tenth Floor

    6.3 1983 HD

    A lower-middle-class policeman lives decadently, chasing cheap beer and girls at the same time he's running from loan sharks and his personal expectations.

    img
  • 1983
    imgMovies

    The Mosquito on the Tenth Floor

    The Mosquito on the Tenth Floor

    6.3 1983 HD

    A lower-middle-class policeman lives decadently, chasing cheap beer and girls at the same time he's running from loan sharks and his personal expectations.

    img
  • 2002
    imgMovies

    Doing Time

    Doing Time

    5.5 2002 HD

    A man serving a sentence in a minimum-security prison. Life in the jail is rigid and organized, eventually leading all of the cell-mates to abandon their individuality.

    img
  • 1993
    imgMovies

    All Under the Moon

    All Under the Moon

    5.8 1993 HD

    A Korean taxi-driver interacts both humorously and tragically with his customers and employers in '90s Tokyo.

    img
  • 1993
    imgMovies

    All Under the Moon

    All Under the Moon

    5.8 1993 HD

    A Korean taxi-driver interacts both humorously and tragically with his customers and employers in '90s Tokyo.

    img
  • 1991
    imgMovies

    Burning Dog

    Burning Dog

    7 1991 HD

    A gang of thieves plot to rob a US military base in Okinawa, but rising tensions in the group threaten to put the plan in jeopardy.

    img
  • 1999
    imgMovies

    The Pig's Retribution

    The Pig's Retribution

    5.2 1999 HD

    A virginal boy travels with three hookers to a small island to collect his estranged father's washed up and sun-bleached bones.

    img
  • 1985
    imgMovies

    Let Him Rest in Peace

    Let Him Rest in Peace

    8 1985 HD

    A man returns to his seaside roots to confront a yakuza boss. Along the way, he charms young men, softens a hard woman and busts a few heads.

    img
  • 2002
    imgMovies

    Doing Time

    Doing Time

    5.5 2002 HD

    A man serving a sentence in a minimum-security prison. Life in the jail is rigid and organized, eventually leading all of the cell-mates to abandon their individuality.

    img
  • 1980
    imgMovies

    不良少年

    不良少年

    1 1980 HD

    Based on the novel of the same name by Shoji Yuki

    img
  • 1995
    imgMovies

    Heisei Irresponsible Family: Tokyo de Luxe

    Heisei Irresponsible Family: Tokyo de Luxe

    1 1995 HD

    The members of the Ameya family are all scammers. After their election scheme goes bust in their hometown, they move from Shikoku to Tokyo and resume their fraudulent activities. Everything carries on smoothly until the eldest and the fourth sons' modus operandi go awry, the mother's lover runs off with another woman, and disasters strike one after another. This film is a collaboration between Yoichi Sai and Goro Kishitani following "All Under the Moon." The family business of the Ameya family is defrauding people. The matriarch, who keeps getting married and divorced, has five children with different fathers. The Ameya family chases after fortune and leaves a trail of trouble on their path.

    img
  • 1995
    imgMovies

    Heisei Irresponsible Family: Tokyo de Luxe

    Heisei Irresponsible Family: Tokyo de Luxe

    1 1995 HD

    The members of the Ameya family are all scammers. After their election scheme goes bust in their hometown, they move from Shikoku to Tokyo and resume their fraudulent activities. Everything carries on smoothly until the eldest and the fourth sons' modus operandi go awry, the mother's lover runs off with another woman, and disasters strike one after another. This film is a collaboration between Yoichi Sai and Goro Kishitani following "All Under the Moon." The family business of the Ameya family is defrauding people. The matriarch, who keeps getting married and divorced, has five children with different fathers. The Ameya family chases after fortune and leaves a trail of trouble on their path.

    img
  • 1995
    imgMovies

    MARKS

    MARKS

    5 1995 HD

    Assistant police inspector Aida is assigned to investigate the murder of a former gang member. When a justice ministry official is killed days later in a similar manner, he begins to suspect that something bigger is going on...

    img
  • 1995
    imgMovies

    MARKS

    MARKS

    5 1995 HD

    Assistant police inspector Aida is assigned to investigate the murder of a former gang member. When a justice ministry official is killed days later in a similar manner, he begins to suspect that something bigger is going on...

    img
  • 1984
    imgMovies

    Someday, Someone Will Be Killed

    Someday, Someone Will Be Killed

    4 1984 HD

    While trying to search for her missing father, Atsuko Moriya meets a group of outcasts that help her. Having only an encrypted disk in her possession and while being chased by unknown people, Atsuko tries to solve the mystery of her family origins.

    img
  • 1988
    imgMovies

    The Glorious Asuka Gang!

    The Glorious Asuka Gang!

    8 1988 HD

    In the year 199X, on the dark, shady streets of New Kabuki Town, the free-for-all between gangs of young delinquents and a corrupt police force is further complicated by the appearance of a mysterious girl named Asuka.

    img
  • 1988
    imgMovies

    The Glorious Asuka Gang!

    The Glorious Asuka Gang!

    8 1988 HD

    In the year 199X, on the dark, shady streets of New Kabuki Town, the free-for-all between gangs of young delinquents and a corrupt police force is further complicated by the appearance of a mysterious girl named Asuka.

    img
  • 1980
    imgMovies

    The Night of Martial Law

    The Night of Martial Law

    1 1980 HD

    img
  • 2008
    imgMovies

    The Short Films Everyone started out as a child

    The Short Films Everyone started out as a child

    1 2008 HD

    A dream collaboration between five directors who represent the modern Japanese film industry! An omnibus work composed of five short films has been created. "The Short Films: We all started as children." The theme that runs through the five short films is "children." The styles vary from period dramas to contemporary daily life scenes, but all of the works highlight the dreams of children, who are entrusted with Japan's future, as well as the issues facing the social system surrounding children. ©ABC Television

    img
  • 1986
    imgMovies

    Love Story

    Love Story

    1 1986 HD

    TBS Wednesday Drama Special about a young assistant in love with an older man who works as a photographer.

    img
  • 2022
    imgMovies

    優作について私が知っている二、三の事柄

    優作について私が知っている二、三の事柄

    1 2022 HD

    img
  • 1989
    imgMovies

    Via Okinawa

    Via Okinawa

    6.5 1989 HD

    During the Vietnam War era, the influx of American soldiers to Okinawa boosted the local economy and introduced many bars and nightclubs. With exhausting displays of energy, Sai presents a whirlwind romance between a local rocker and the daughter of a mixed American-Okinawan marriage.

    img
  • 1983
    imgMovies

    Sexual Crime

    Sexual Crime

    1 1983 HD

    Three people whose lives have taken a turn for the worse retreat into a world of erotic dreams made flesh in this drama from director Sai Yoichi. An executive with a large industrial corporation finds his job and his future is on the line when his firm is beset by labor troubles at the same time severe financial mismanagement has been discovered. As the executive looks for a way out of his situation, he becomes involved in a ménage à trois relationship with two fellow employees, a woman and another man. As real life becomes all the more unpleasant, the businessman and his lovers become deeply attached to one another as he explores sides of his sexual nature he's never been able to investigate in the past.

    img
  • 1987
    imgMovies

    The Lady in a Black Dress

    The Lady in a Black Dress

    5.3 1987 HD

    A woman named Fujiki Asuka arrives as an acquaintance of a sister in law for a day under the bar master Tamura who had guided Yakuza's escaping as a shoji. Tamura who lives on the second floor of the store for the time being the son who wants to work here. A few days later, Tamura finds a handgun from Yuko's baggage and holds a suspicion.

    img
  • 1998
    imgMovies

    Dog Race

    Dog Race

    1 1998 HD

    Ethnically Korean Japanese filmmaker Yoichi Sai directs this madcap crime comedy. Nakayama (Goro Kishitani) is a suave police detective who doesn't play by the rules. He busts a drug ring, but not before sampling a few of the wares, and he closes down an underaged prostitution ring after enjoying the company of a school girl hooker. One of duties is to shake down sniveling Korean gangster Hideyoshi (Ren Osugi) for information. In spite of their positions on opposite sides of the law, the two discover that they share a fair amount in common. A disregard for the law and the love of a comely prostitute from China named Momo-chan (Makoto Togashi). Though Hideyoshi is running an illegal alien smuggling ring with her and has lusted for her from a far for quite a while, Nakayama manages to bed her first. When she does finally appear in Hideyoshi's bed, she's unfortunately a corpse.

    img
  • 1998
    imgMovies

    Dog Race

    Dog Race

    1 1998 HD

    Ethnically Korean Japanese filmmaker Yoichi Sai directs this madcap crime comedy. Nakayama (Goro Kishitani) is a suave police detective who doesn't play by the rules. He busts a drug ring, but not before sampling a few of the wares, and he closes down an underaged prostitution ring after enjoying the company of a school girl hooker. One of duties is to shake down sniveling Korean gangster Hideyoshi (Ren Osugi) for information. In spite of their positions on opposite sides of the law, the two discover that they share a fair amount in common. A disregard for the law and the love of a comely prostitute from China named Momo-chan (Makoto Togashi). Though Hideyoshi is running an illegal alien smuggling ring with her and has lusted for her from a far for quite a while, Nakayama manages to bed her first. When she does finally appear in Hideyoshi's bed, she's unfortunately a corpse.

    img
  • 1983
    imgMovies

    Dansen

    Dansen

    1 1983 HD

    Based on crime fiction novel written by Seicho Matsumoto.

    img
  • 1976
    imgMovies

    In the Realm of the Senses

    In the Realm of the Senses

    6.6 1976 HD

    A passionate telling of the story of Sada Abe, a woman whose affair with her master led to an obsessive and ultimately destructive sexual relationship.

    img
  • 2022
    imgMovies

    CLUB DEJA-VU ONE NIGHT SHOW 松田優作・メモリアル・ライブ

    CLUB DEJA-VU ONE NIGHT SHOW 松田優作・メモリアル・ライブ

    1 2022 HD

    img
  • 1978
    imgMovies

    The Killing Game

    The Killing Game

    7.4 1978 HD

    The second movie of Tôru Murakawa's "Game" trilogy. After making a sensational hit, a hitman has gone into hiding for five years. When he comes back he bumps into two women that he has spared five years ago. Two rival yakuza bosses hire Narumi to kill the other. Will Narumi's sense of chivalry entrap him again?

    img
  • 1999
    imgMovies

    The Pig's Retribution

    The Pig's Retribution

    5.2 1999 HD

    A virginal boy travels with three hookers to a small island to collect his estranged father's washed up and sun-bleached bones.

    img
  • 1978
    imgMovies

    The Most Dangerous Game

    The Most Dangerous Game

    5.8 1978 HD

    The first movie of Tôru Murakawa’s “Game” trilogy, in which an assassin hired to recover a kidnap victim becomes embroiled in a vicious power struggle between two large corporations over a sizable government defence contract.

    img
  • 2007
    imgMovies

    Soo

    Soo

    6.5 2007 HD

    Tae-soo tries to steal from a gang. The gang catches Tae-Soo's brother, Tae-Jin, instead. The incident causes the brothers to separate. Tae-Soo becomes a mob fixer and an assassin. Tae-Jin becomes a police detective. When a call brings the brothers together, they get ready for brotherly bonding, but Tae-Jin gets killed. Tae-Soo decides to get revenge on his brother's killer.

    img
  • 1976
    imgMovies

    Bastard on the Border

    Bastard on the Border

    1 1976 HD

    The United States celebrates its bicentennial. The film depicts the history of a rebellious nation that has been overshadowed by the authentic history of the U.S., including slums, Vietnam veterans, incarcerated Nikkei, and indigenous peoples.

    img
  • 1977
    imgMovies

    Kitamura Tokoku: My Winter Song

    Kitamura Tokoku: My Winter Song

    5 1977 HD

    This biopic is centered on New Year's Day of 1894, when Kitamura is recovering from a suicide attempt. Japan is then under the spell of fervent patriotism because the government wants to build up public support for a war with China. Kitamura's literary friends and militant comrades come to visit. They wonder why Kitamura wants to kill himself. Kitamura at first refuses to receive them, then he sits down with them and looks back on his days as a civil rights militant, his stormy love life and his ardent but destructive desire to live literature to the full.

    img
  • 1979
    imgMovies

    No Grave for Us

    No Grave for Us

    6 1979 HD

    A plot to steal money from gangsters leads to trouble...

    img
  • 1975
    imgMovies

    Kokuhatsu Zainichi kankokujin seijihan report

    Kokuhatsu Zainichi kankokujin seijihan report

    1 1975 HD

    Documentary film about the discrimination against zainichi, directed by Yoshihiko Okamoto.

    img
  • 1970
    imgS1 E25

    1 1970 HD

    img