Hiroyasu Ishida

The master of whimsical animation, Hiroyasu Ishida, was born in 1984 in Fukuoka, Japan. Active since his student years in the mid-2000s, Ishida is widely recognized for his work in the anime genre, with his most acclaimed films including "Fumiko's Confession" and "Penguin Highway," the latter of which won the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year in 2019. Ishida's directorial style is noted for its fantastical elements, often merging the mundane with the magical, and characterized by colorful, fluid animation. Ishida, with his youthful vigor and imaginative storytelling, has breathed a fresh, unique voice into the landscape of Japanese animation.