Takashi Yamazaki on Reviving Godzilla and Winning an Oscar

Japanese director Takashi Yamazaki's 2023 film "Godzilla Minus One" won the franchise's first Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in March 2024, surprising the filmmaker who didn't know it was submitted. The sequel, "Godzilla Minus Zero," opened in U.S. theaters this week. The film, set in postwar Japan between 1945 and 1947, was praised for balancing human drama, historical detail, and effects, with a budget reportedly around $15 million versus Hollywood's $160 million on 2014's "Godzilla." Yamazaki generated the monster entirely with CGI, rejecting traditional suit acting to achieve complex water sequences and precise scale adjustments. Yamazaki, 62, began at Shirogumi as a student in the 1980s and has directed 21 films. His upcoming Hollywood projects include "Grandgear" with J.J. Abrams and "Nue" with Ridley Scott's company, which he credits to the Oscar win's expanded opportunities.