Sakaki Hideo, a well-known Japanese actor and film director, was arrested on Tuesday in Tokyo on suspicion of sexual assault.
Japanese media, quoting police reports, said that the arrest relates to an alleged incident in May 2016. They also cite Sakaki’s denial of the charges, which he calls “false accusations.”
The assault is alleged to have occurred at Sakaki’s apartment, where he took an actor in her 20s in order to give her acting advice. During the course of their encounter, Sakaki is alleged to have asked the woman to take off her clothes so that he could check for tattoos and suggested that she should get used to nudity in her acting career.
The actor and her lawyer consulted with Tokyo police in September that year, and filed a formal complaint in 2023.
The alleged incident was first reported in the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine in March 2022, which accused...
Japanese media, quoting police reports, said that the arrest relates to an alleged incident in May 2016. They also cite Sakaki’s denial of the charges, which he calls “false accusations.”
The assault is alleged to have occurred at Sakaki’s apartment, where he took an actor in her 20s in order to give her acting advice. During the course of their encounter, Sakaki is alleged to have asked the woman to take off her clothes so that he could check for tattoos and suggested that she should get used to nudity in her acting career.
The actor and her lawyer consulted with Tokyo police in September that year, and filed a formal complaint in 2023.
The alleged incident was first reported in the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine in March 2022, which accused...
- 2/21/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Prolific Japanese director Sion Sono, known for such films as Love Exposure and Antiporno, as well as the recent Nicolas Cage-starrer Prisoners Of The Ghostland, has reportedly been accused of sexual harassment by several actresses in Japan.
The accusations came to light in a post on local site Shukan Josei Prime with actresses anonymously alleging impropriety. According to Deadline’s sister publication, Variety, the alleged predatory behavior has been linked to Sono’s acting workshops and an upcoming workshop has been cancelled.
Actor Yuki Matsuzaki, who has appeared in such films as Letters From Iwo Jima and The Pink Panther 2, has been tweeting about the allegations:
Now that Sion Sono is outed as a sexual predator who preys on young actresses luring them with roles in his films, I wonder if Any of the major Japanese film studios and TV networks would condemn such predatory practices? How about Japan Academy Awards?...
The accusations came to light in a post on local site Shukan Josei Prime with actresses anonymously alleging impropriety. According to Deadline’s sister publication, Variety, the alleged predatory behavior has been linked to Sono’s acting workshops and an upcoming workshop has been cancelled.
Actor Yuki Matsuzaki, who has appeared in such films as Letters From Iwo Jima and The Pink Panther 2, has been tweeting about the allegations:
Now that Sion Sono is outed as a sexual predator who preys on young actresses luring them with roles in his films, I wonder if Any of the major Japanese film studios and TV networks would condemn such predatory practices? How about Japan Academy Awards?...
- 4/5/2022
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Japanese director Sion Sono has been accused by two women of sexual assault in a new report from Shukan Josei Prime.
Sono is known for provocative indie films like 2008’s “Love Exposure,” which screened at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival and won two awards. The almost four-hour film follows the erotic adventures of a peeping tom photographer.
An unnamed actress told entertainment magazine Shukan Josei Prime that Sono told her that women have had sex with him for years to gain parts in his films, and that he is to thank for their success in the industry. She said that after Sono offered her a role, he attempted to force her to have sex with him (via Variety). After she refused, the director allegedly called another actress he had previously worked with and proceeded to engage in sexual acts in front of her. An assistant director then allegedly led her outside...
Sono is known for provocative indie films like 2008’s “Love Exposure,” which screened at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival and won two awards. The almost four-hour film follows the erotic adventures of a peeping tom photographer.
An unnamed actress told entertainment magazine Shukan Josei Prime that Sono told her that women have had sex with him for years to gain parts in his films, and that he is to thank for their success in the industry. She said that after Sono offered her a role, he attempted to force her to have sex with him (via Variety). After she refused, the director allegedly called another actress he had previously worked with and proceeded to engage in sexual acts in front of her. An assistant director then allegedly led her outside...
- 4/5/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Self-proclaimed maverick Japanese film director Sono Sion, known for raunchy indie movies including ‘Love Exposure’ and ‘Antiporno’, has been accused of sexual harassment by several actresses in Japan’s film industry. The accusations were published Monday by the Shukan Josei Prime entertainment news and gossip site, reports ‘Variety’. In a lengthy article, several actresses made accusations […]...
- 4/5/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Sono Sion, the self-proclaimed maverick Japanese film director known for raunchy indie movies including “Love Exposure” and “Antiporno,” has been accused of sexual harassment by several actresses in Japan’s film industry.
The accusations were published Monday by the Shukan Josei Prime entertainment news and gossip site. In a lengthy article, several actresses made accusations against Sono under the protection of anonymity. According to the piece, Sono, now aged 60, boasted of making sexual advances to “most of [his] leading ladies.” Sono’s alleged predatory practices have been linked to his acting workshops.
On Tuesday, Sono responded to the allegations with a statement from his company. “To whom it may concern. Thank you very much for your continued support. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and concern this may have caused to all parties concerned. We will make a new announcement after sorting out the facts.” His upcoming acting workshop has been canceled.
The accusations were published Monday by the Shukan Josei Prime entertainment news and gossip site. In a lengthy article, several actresses made accusations against Sono under the protection of anonymity. According to the piece, Sono, now aged 60, boasted of making sexual advances to “most of [his] leading ladies.” Sono’s alleged predatory practices have been linked to his acting workshops.
On Tuesday, Sono responded to the allegations with a statement from his company. “To whom it may concern. Thank you very much for your continued support. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and concern this may have caused to all parties concerned. We will make a new announcement after sorting out the facts.” His upcoming acting workshop has been canceled.
- 4/5/2022
- by Mark Schilling and Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Last night, Prisoners of the Ghostland, the latest from trailblazing filmmaker Sion Sono, premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The genre-bending post-apocalyptic actioner stars Nicolas Cage as a bank robber called “Hero,” who is tasked by a nefarious figure known only as “The Governor” to retrieve his granddaughter (played by Sofia Boutella), who has run away and gone off the grid. To take on the role of The Governor in Prisoners of the Ghostland, Sono brought on veteran actor and fan favorite Bill Moseley, who relished the opportunity to play the over-the-top bad guy, even if he wasn’t very familiar with the director’s work prior to becoming involved.
“My contact for Ghostland was the writer, Reza Sixo Safai,” Moseley explained. “We're pals here in Los Angeles, and he had talked about the movie and suggested I look into it. I didn't really know anything about Sion Sono, so...
“My contact for Ghostland was the writer, Reza Sixo Safai,” Moseley explained. “We're pals here in Los Angeles, and he had talked about the movie and suggested I look into it. I didn't really know anything about Sion Sono, so...
- 2/2/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
While many may still look down upon a genre such as pink film, many entries in Nikkatsu’s Roman Porno Reboot Project are not only entertaining to watch, they have also garnered quite a lot of critical acclaim. The guidelines of having, more or less, complete artistic freedom and the obligation to add a few nude scenes in the story has worked for titles like Sion Sono’s “Antiporno”, a movie which not only works as a titillating feature, but also as an in-depth look about gender images in film as well as class. In 2016, Akihiko Shiota, a director who has had experience working in the field of pink film, managed to convince both audience and critics with his entry into the project called “Wet Woman in the Wind”, a story about temptation and pretense.
Popularity comes with a price for Kosuke (Tasuku Nagaoka), a famous playwright,...
Popularity comes with a price for Kosuke (Tasuku Nagaoka), a famous playwright,...
- 10/23/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Celebrated Japanese director Sion Sono Has completed production on his most recent project “The Forest of Love”. This will be the second project Sono has completed for a streaming service, having previously worked on “Tokyo Vampire Hotel” for Amazon Japan.
“The Forest of Love” is set for release October 11th, 2019 through Netflix streaming service. Netflix has released a trailer for the production, which can be viewed below.
“The Forest of Love” is set for release October 11th, 2019 through Netflix streaming service. Netflix has released a trailer for the production, which can be viewed below.
- 10/7/2019
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
The Japanese film industry loves making films about the process of filmmaking. From “The Woodsman and the Rain”, the smash hit “One Cut of the Dead”, Sion Sono’s Roman Porno entry “Antiporno” to even director Eiji Uchida’s own “Lowlife Love” and more, there have been several films about filmmakers and filming from there. The last two of the aforementioned films particularly hold strong relevance for “The Naked Director”, the new Netflix series which has been co-written by Uchida and tells the real-life story of Toru Muranishi, one of Japan’s most prolific, innovative and famous pornographers and the rise of the porn industry in the country.
As an English Encyclopaedia selling door-to-door salesman in Hokkaido, Japan, Toru Muranishi isn’t doing too well. Just as he’s beginning to gain confidence and getting the ropes of marketing, the company he works for folds and a crestfallen Muranishi then...
As an English Encyclopaedia selling door-to-door salesman in Hokkaido, Japan, Toru Muranishi isn’t doing too well. Just as he’s beginning to gain confidence and getting the ropes of marketing, the company he works for folds and a crestfallen Muranishi then...
- 8/13/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
“Antiporuno” is one of five films made by leading Japanese directors as part of Nikkatsu’s Roman Porno Reboot Project celebrating the 45th anniversary of the genre. Roman porno films were Nikkatsu’s response to falling ticket sales and the popularity of the low-budget pink film (pinku eiga) in the early 1970s. These were mainstream films, mainly marketed at a male audience, which can be categorized loosely as softcore pornography. Shot on a limited budget, generally in a week, the distinguishing feature of roman porno films was that they had to have a sex scene every 10 minutes. Aside from those restrictions, directors were free to experiment with both genre and narrative form.
“Antiporuno” screened at Japan Cuts
The emphasis on the reboot was to move the films away from their misogynistic roots and emphasis on male desire to focus on female subjectivity and desire outside the male gaze. “Antiporno” has...
“Antiporuno” screened at Japan Cuts
The emphasis on the reboot was to move the films away from their misogynistic roots and emphasis on male desire to focus on female subjectivity and desire outside the male gaze. “Antiporno” has...
- 6/18/2019
- by Colette Balmain
- AsianMoviePulse
Here’s a match made in movie heaven you never knew you needed: Nicolas Cage and Sion Sono collaborating on a crime thriller. The result is the upcoming “Prisoners of the Ghostland,” which Cage says “might be the wildest movie [he’s] ever made.” That may sound hard to believe — this year’s “Mandy” was pretty out there, and who can forget the likes of “Vampire’s Kiss” or that “Wicker Man” remake? — but anyone who’s seen “Love Exposure” or “Suicide Club” knows that Sono is capable of much oddity.
“I’m thrilled about it! It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read before,” Cage said of the film during the Film Festival and Awards Macao, according to Screen Anarchy. “It might be the wildest movie I’ve ever made, and that’s saying something. It’s out there. I wear a skintight black leather jumpsuit with grenades attached to different body parts,...
“I’m thrilled about it! It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read before,” Cage said of the film during the Film Festival and Awards Macao, according to Screen Anarchy. “It might be the wildest movie I’ve ever made, and that’s saying something. It’s out there. I wear a skintight black leather jumpsuit with grenades attached to different body parts,...
- 12/14/2018
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
We love Nicolas Cage for the unabashed intensity with which he seems to approach any role he is offered, and in recent years, boy have there been a lot of them. The actor was in Macau this past weekend at the 3rd International Film Festival and Awards Macao. During his masterclass, Cage revealed a tidbit about one of his most anticipated projects for 2019, Prisoners of the Ghostland. The film marks the English-language debut of Sion Sono, the equally unhinged director of Love Exposure, Suicide Club, Why Don’t You Play in Hell?, Antiporno and many other deranged favourites. Suffice to say, it sounds pretty crazy… “I’m thrilled about it! It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It might be the wildest movie I’ve...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 12/13/2018
- Screen Anarchy
The first thing you should know about Sono Sion’s characteristically unhinged “Tokyo Vampire Hotel” is that — spoiler alert? — most of it takes place inside of a vampire’s vagina. Well, technically speaking, most of it takes place inside of a massive hotel, but that massive hotel is actually squeezed into an inter-dimensional pocket of space-time that’s located between the legs of a decrepit vampire queen. And that decrepit vampire queen lives in Tokyo, hence the title “Tokyo Vampire Hotel.” Or maybe lives in Romania. It’s kind of unclear. The hotel is definitely in her vagina, though — there’s no doubt about that.
A demented cocaine giallo that splits the difference between Suzuki Seijun and Claire Denis, Sono Sion’s latest exercise in gonzo digital mayhem is maybe the wildest thing he’s ever made; that’s high praise when discussing the punk auteur responsible for the likes...
A demented cocaine giallo that splits the difference between Suzuki Seijun and Claire Denis, Sono Sion’s latest exercise in gonzo digital mayhem is maybe the wildest thing he’s ever made; that’s high praise when discussing the punk auteur responsible for the likes...
- 7/31/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
UK's Third Window Films have had a rough year, but they are coming back strong with a quartet of solid releases from some of Japan's most exciting filmmakers. Today we're looking at their recent Blu-ray releases of Uchida Eiji's Love and Other Cults, Yamamoto Eiichi and Tezuka Osamu's Animerama double feature of Cleopatra and A Thousand and One Nights, and a pair of Sono Sion films from the last couple of years, Antiporno and The Whispering Star. Learn more about these great releases below....
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 7/2/2018
- Screen Anarchy
Sion Sono is known for being both prolific and provocative, with grotesque horrors such as “Suicide Club” (2002) and more thoughtful pieces like “Himizu” (2011). In “Antiporno” he gives his own unusual take on the adult film industry, discussing themes of sex, sexism, patriarchal society, and female liberation.
Antiporno is screening at the 19th Japan Film Fest Hamburg
The film begins in a peculiar yellow room, that serves not only as living quarters, but also as a sort of inescapable psychological space, a cell, and a film set. We see our a woman dancing alone to classical accompaniment. Around her are a dazzling array of lit candles and she seems in an joyful mood as she glides elegantly around the room. This cuts to the woman, Kyoko, waking up, underwear around her knees, and stumbling to the bathroom, which is connected to the main room and painted vivid red. The character seems conflicted,...
Antiporno is screening at the 19th Japan Film Fest Hamburg
The film begins in a peculiar yellow room, that serves not only as living quarters, but also as a sort of inescapable psychological space, a cell, and a film set. We see our a woman dancing alone to classical accompaniment. Around her are a dazzling array of lit candles and she seems in an joyful mood as she glides elegantly around the room. This cuts to the woman, Kyoko, waking up, underwear around her knees, and stumbling to the bathroom, which is connected to the main room and painted vivid red. The character seems conflicted,...
- 5/14/2018
- by Matthew Cooper
- AsianMoviePulse
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