Shusuke Kaneko (born June 8, 1955) is a Japanese filmmaker and screenwriter. Kaneko began his career at Nikkatsu and would serve as a writer for film and anime. Establishing himself as an up and coming director, Kaneko would win accolades at various film festivals. His film Summer Vacation 1999, would garner him his first award for best director at the Yokohama Film Festival. As a lifelong fan of the original Godzilla films, Kaneko would be chosen as the director for Daiei's revival of the Gamera franchise. Kaneko's work on the Gamera films were met with unprecedented critical acclaim. He would be honored with the Director's Award at the 17th Yokohama Film Festival for his work on Gamera: Guardian of the Universe. This film would also go on to top Kinema Junpo's best films of the year list and earn Blue Ribbon awards for best Director and Best supporting actress. Kaneko would go on to direct the most successful Godzilla film of the millennium series as well as the live action adaptations of Death Note. Kaneko has also contributed to various documentaries on kaiju films, particularly those of Ishiro Honda, championing their artistry and imagination

Filmography

• 20262126, Looking for the Sea's Star — Director
• 2024Gold Boy‎ — Director
• 2022When The Rain Falls — Director
• 2021Nobutora - Samurai Tiger — Director
• 2017Linking Love — Screenplay, Director
• 2017Matchmaking Cruise — Screenplay, Director
• 2016Death Note: Genius of the Counterattack — Director
• 2016Scanner — Director
• 2014Danger Dolls — Director
• 2013Jellyfish — Director
• Kiken na Kankei — Director
• 2013Sacrifice Dilemma — Director
• 2013Sacrifice Dilemma: Last Part — Director
• 2013Sacrifice Dilemma: Second Part — Director
• 2012The Centenarian Clock — Director
• 2011Messiah — Director
• 2010The Idiots — Director
• 2009Pride — Director
• 2006Death Note — Director
• 2006Death Note: The Last Name — Director
• 2006God's Left Hand, Devil's Right Hand — Director
• 2006The iDol — Producer
• 2006What's a Director?
• 2005Azumi 2: Death or Love — Director
• Holyland — Series Director
• 2005Ultra Q Monster Legend: Jun Manjome's Confession — Self, Director
• Ultraman Max — Director
• 2005Ultraman Monster Legend: The 40 Year Old Truth — Director
• Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy — Director
• 2002恋に唄えば♪ — Director
• 2001Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack — Director, Screenplay
• 2000Crossfire — Director, Screenplay
• 1999GAMERA 1999
• 1999Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris — Writer, Director
• 1998F — Screenplay, Director
• 1997Haunted School 3 — Director, Writer
• 1996Gamera 2: Advent of Legion — Director
• 1995Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe — Director
• 1995The Making of Gamera: Guardian of the Universe — Director
• 1994It's a Summer Vacation Everyday — Writer, Director
• 1993Graduation Journey: I Came from Japan — Director
• 1993Necronomicon — Director
• 1991All's Quiet on the Recruit Front — Screenplay, Director
• 1991My Soul Is Slashed — Director, Writer
• 1990Hong Kong Paradise — Director
• 1989Who Do I Choose? — Director, Screenplay
• 1988Last Cabaret — Director
• 1988Summer Vacation 1999 — Director
• 1988Yamada Village Waltz — Director
• 1987Kyoufu no Yacchan — Director
• 1986Mischievous Lolita: Attacking the Virgin from Behind — Director
• 1985I'm All Yours — Director
• 1984Eve-chan no hime — Director
• 1984Koichiro Uno's Wet and Swinging — Director
• 1984Mai Inoue: Blue Rape Attacked — Director, Screenplay
• 1984Main Theme — Assistant Director
• 1984Office Ladies: Lesbians in Uniforms 3 — Director
• 1984Sukeban Kabushiki-gaisha: Yacchae! Ojôsan — Assistant Director, Screenplay
• 1983Final Scandal: Madam Likes It Hard — Writer, Assistant Director
• Magical Angel Creamy Mami — Writer
• 1983Pink Cut: Love Me Hard, Love Me Deep — First Assistant Director
• 1983The Family Game — Bookstore Clerk (uncredited), Assistant Director
• 1983The Red Shoes: Tokyo Rape Incident — Assistant Director
• 1983Uno Koichiro no nurete manabu — Assistant Director, Screenplay
• 1982Female Teacher Hunting — Assistant Director
• 1982Gigolo: A Docu-Drama — Cameraman's assistant, Assistant Director
• 1982Oh! Takarazuka — Assistant Director
• 1982Seiko no futomomo: Za chiagāru — Screenplay
• 1982Zeccho shimai ochiru — Assistant Director
• 1982Zoom Up: Seiko's Thigh — Screenplay
• 1978Panic in High School — Assistant Director
• Siberia — Director

Appearances as themselves (6)

• 2019The Dawn of Kaiju Eiga — Self - Filmmaker
• 2018Cho Edogakeishi — Self
• 2009Making of Death Note — Self
• 2009Making of Death Note: The Last Name — Self
• 2008Bringing Godzilla Down to Size: The Art of Japanese Special Effects — Himself
• 2002Project GMK: The Day Shusuke Kaneko Fought Godzilla — Himself