SABU
Sabu (サブ, Sabu, born November 18, 1964) is the pseudonym of Japanese actor and director Hiroyuki Tanaka. Born in Wakayama Prefecture, Sabu studied at an Osaka fashion school before deciding to go to Tokyo to become a professional musician. It was suggested he try acting and in 1986 he made his film debut in Sorobanzuku. He earned his first starring role in the 1991 World Apartment Horror, a live-action film directed by Katsuhiro Ōtomo of Akira fame. Working from a script he wrote himself, he made his directorial debut with the 1996 Dangan Runner, a film that set his early style of "quirky action-comedies propelled by characters who hurtle headlong though squirming narratives steered more by the forces of incidence and coincidence than the actions of the protagonists themselves." Shin'ichi Tsutsumi played the lead in Sabu's first five films. Blessing Bell, starring Susumu Terajima (who has played minor roles in nearly all of Sabu's films), was a turn away from his kinetic, parodic, and black comedy narratives, and earned the NETPAC Award at the 2003 Berlin Film Festival. Later films featured the J-pop band V6. In 2009, he directed The Crab Cannery Ship, a modern adaptation of a classic of Japanese proletarian literature written by Takiji Kobayashi. He has continued to work as an actor, such as in Takashi Miike's Ichi the Killer (2001). His film Chasuke's Journey was selected to be screened in the main competition section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival.
Known for
DirectingBirthday
November 18, 1964Gender
MaleKnown Movie Credits
39Place of birth
Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, JapanAlso known as
Hiroki Tanaka, 田中博行, サブ, Hiroyuki Tanaka, 田中博樹Cast credits
Ichi the Killer
KanekoZëiram 2
Fujikuro (as Sabu)World Apartment Horror
ItaDangan Runner
Postman Blues
Kurokawa800 Two Lap Runners
Kyoichi NakazawaSuit Yourself or Shoot Yourself!! The Heist
DomotoKiriko
Silence
Samurai #1Josee, the Tiger and the Fish
Suit Yourself or Shoot Yourself!! The Escape
DomotoSuit Yourself or Shoot Yourself: The Gamble
Shinjuku Triad Society
Sakuran
PatronSavage City: Angel Whisper
Unlucky Monkey
Bank RobberDon't Look Up
SekikawaA Legend of Turmoil
Kuma-chan
Crew credits
Monday
Director, ScreenplayPostman Blues
Director, WriterDrive
Director, ScreenplayBunny Drop
Director, ScreenplayHold Up Down
Director, WriterBlessing Bell
Director, WriterUnlucky Monkey
Writer, DirectorA1012K
DirectorDead Run
Director, ScreenplayKanikôsen
Director, ScreenplayDangan Runner
Director, ScreenplayHard Luck Hero
Director, ScreenplayMiss ZOMBIE
Writer, DirectorChasuke's Journey
Director, ScreenplayMr. Long
Director, ScreenplayHappiness
Director, ScreenplayJam
Screenplay, Director, EditorDancing Mary
Director, Writer, EditorMy Blood and Bones in a Flowing Galaxy
Director, Screenplay, EditorUnder Your Bed
Director