Ryuhei Kitamura (北村龍平 Kitamura Ryūhei, born May 30, 1969) is a Japanese film director growing in popularity in Japan and in the international Japanese film community.

Kitamura's films are known for their extensive mythology, impressive sword fighting and martial arts, and over-the-top action sequences.

Born in Osaka, Japan, Kitamura quit high school and went to the School of Visual Arts in Australia at age 17. His first film was the short Exit, which he made as his graduation piece at age 19. After graduating, he returned to Japan to establish Napalm Films, his independent film production studio. While his films Down to Hell and Heat After Dark were successful in film festivals, Kitamura rise to international fame came from Versus.

Kitamura went on to direct several movies, including adaptations of the manga Azumi and the popular Japanese TV dorama Sky High. He had also collaborated with director Yukihiko Tsutsumi in the Duel Project, in which the two agreed to produce the best dueling movie with minimal production time and budget, with Aragami being Kitamura's part. He also ventured into the world of video games by directing the cutscenes and motion capturing of Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, the GameCube remake of the classic PSX stealth shooter Metal Gear Solid.

Kitamura's latest film, Godzilla: Final Wars had it's premiere in Hollywood and the film is currently playing in Japanese theaters. His future plans include a sequel to Versus as well as preparation for Hollywood.

Filmography (as director)

• Down to Hell (1996)
• Heat After Dark (ヒート・アフター・ダーク) (1996)
• Versus (ヴァーサス) (2000)
• Alive (アライヴ) (2002)
• "The Messenger ~ Requiem for the lost souls" or "The Messenger - Requiem for the Dead" (the messenger －弔いは夜の果てで－) (2002)
• Aragami (2003)
• Azumi (あずみ) (2003)
• The Messenger (2003)
• Sky High (2003)
• Longinus (2004)
• Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)

External links

• Ryuhei Kitamura Official Site (available in Japanese and English)
• Ryuhei Kitamura's IMDb Listing
• Ryuhei Kitamura's JMDb Listing (in Japanese)