FrameThrower · Actors · Takeshi Kitano
Takeshi Kitano
4 films · 252 frames · top-billed in 4 · 1999–2023
Born 18 January 1947 · Tokyo, Japan
Takeshi Kitano, also known in Japan as Beat Takeshi (ビートたけし, Bīto Takeshi), is a Japanese comedian, actor, and filmmaker. While he is known primarily as a comedian and TV host in his native Japan, he is better known abroad for his work as a filmmaker and actor as well as TV host.
Kitano rose to prominence in the 1970s as one half of the comedy duo Two Beat, before going solo and becoming one of the three biggest comedians in the country. After several small acting roles, he made his directorial debut with 1989's Violent Cop and garnered international acclaim for Sonatine (1993). He was not widely accepted as an accomplished director in Japan until Hana-bi won the Golden Lion in 1997.…
Awards
On FrameThrower we have: 4 films · 252 frames · top-billed in 4 · 1999–2023
- Golden Lion1997
- The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette2018
- Officer of the Legion of Honour
- Asian Film Award for Best Director2013
- Silver Lion2003
- Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Director2003
- Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Director1999
- Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actor1999
- European Film Award for Best Non-European Film1997
- Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Director1997
- Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Director1996
- Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Director1992
How their films are shot
Measured across 252 frames from the 4 films we hold. This is the look of the work Takeshi takes, not a claim about any single frame — we index the cast of a film, never the people in a shot.
Across the 4 films we hold, 49% of their frames are night, 48% low key — the look of the work Takeshi takes.
Time of day
Lighting
Shot size
Camera angle
Mood
Films in the library
Every poster opens that film — stills, cinematography notes and colour palette.
Often with
Shared films in this library, not a full filmography.
A reference database for filmmakers
FrameThrower is a fully machine-searchable film database and visual reference library — all 252 frames from Takeshi Kitano's 4 films, and 5,000+ films besides, indexed frame by frame and readable by AI. Search it in plain language, from a reference image, or by colour; call it from an API, an MCP server or an SDK. It's the reference layer for making the next movie.