Born in Tokyo in 1950, Kichitaro Negishi got his start in the film industry making soft-porn movies for the Nikkatsu studio. He directed his first film, "Orion no Satsui yori: Joji no Hoteishiki" ("From Orion's Testimony: Formula for Murder") in 1978 and in 1981 made his straight-feature debut with "Enrai" ("Distant Thunder"), a drama for the Art Theater Guild that won many prizes, including a Mainichi Blue Ribbon Best Director award.
In 1982, Negishi left Nikkatsu to join Directors' Company, a short-lived production collective of up-and-coming young directors. Then, over the next two decades, Negishi made both commercial and indie projects, as well as paying the bills with TV commercials, concert videos and other nonfilm work.
After filming the 1998 yakuza drama "Kizuna," Negishi took a six-year break from feature directing, but since his return has been hitting new career heights.
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