Kaisumi Yanagishima (Director of Photography) and Hitoshi Takaya (Lighting Director) "Kikujiro" marks Kaisumi Yanagishima's sixth collaboration
with Takeshi Kitano, while Hitoshi Takaya has worked on all eight films that Kitano has directed. Yanagishima also shot "Boiling Point," "A Scene at the Sea," "Sonatine," "Getting Any?" and "Kids Return."


Together, Yanagishima and Takaya established what has been referred to as the "Kitano blue." For "Kikujiro," the cinematography/lighting team has created what they call the "blazing summer green." Their teamwork is also responsible for 1998's "Ikinai," directed by Hiroshi Shimuzu and produced by Office Kitano.

Joe Hisaishi (Music) is one of Japan's most prolific and influential contemporary musical artists. As composer, producer, arranger and musician, the output of his twenty-year career is impressive. Responsible for the original scores of over twenty films, Hisaishi has won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Film Music a record four times, recently for the soundtrack of Kitano's "Hana-Bi." He has also composed music for a dozen television series and countless commercials.

"Kikujiro" is Hisaishi's fifth collaboration with Kitano. He previously composed the music for "A Scene at the Sea," "Sonatine" and "Kids Return" (the last two also won him Japanese "Academy Awards").

Recognized for his unique minimalist style, the accomplished pianist and keyboard player has released over fifteen best-selling albums. For the past several years, his concerts (with the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and also as a solo pianist) have toured Japan numerous times with enormous success. He has recorded with several international orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic and Italian Citta de Ferrara Orchestra. Among his other feature film credits are Hayo Miyazaki's animated features "Porco Rosso" and "The Princess Monoke."

_____________________________

Director/ Writer/ Editor
TAKESHI KITANO

Producers
MASAYUKI MORI
TAKIO YOSHIDA

Music
JOE HISAISHI

Line Producer
SHINJI KOMIYA

Associate Producers
NAOYUKI SAKAGAMI
KAZUHIRO FURUKAWA
KAZUMI KAWASHIRO

Director of Photography
BEAT KIYOSHI

Lighting Director
HITOSHI TAKAYA

Art Director
NORIHIRO ISODA

Costumes
FUMIO IWASAKI

Sound Engineer
SENJI HORIUCHI

Co-Editor
YOSHINORI OTA

Script Supervisor
HIDEKO NAKATA

First Assistant Director
HIROSHI SHIMIZU

Casting
TAKEFUMI YOSHIKAWA

Production Manager
AKIRA YAMAMOTO

Second Unit Cinematographer
TAKAHIRO TSUNOI

Set Decorator
TATSUO OZEKI

Make-Up Artist
MITSUYO MIYAUCHI

Tattoo Artist
RYOJI KASUMI

Angel Bell Designer
KATSUYUKI SHINOHARA

Title Designer
YOKOZO AKAMATSU

International Relations
NAOYUKI USUI

Presented by
BANDAI VISUAL
TOKYO FM
NIPPON HERALD
OFFICE KITANO

Soundtrack Distribution
POLYDOR RECORDS

Music Publisher
FUJI-PACIFIC

*    *    *