Hikari (director)

Mitsuyo Miyazaki, known as Hikari, is a Japanese writer, director and producer of film and television, best known for directing three episodes of the Netflix series Beef in 2023.

Personal life
Originally from Osaka, Japan, Hikari moved to the United States where she was a foreign exchange student in Utah at 17 years old which led her to move to LA to study film at University. She holds an MFA in film and TV production from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. After graduating she moved to LA and tried working as an actor.

Film
Hikari released her first short film, Tsuyako, in 2011. The film was shown at 100 film festivals worldwide, receiving 50 awards including Best Short Film and Best Screenplay. It was followed by A Better Tomorrow which premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and Where We Begin which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2015. In 2019 she debuted 37 Seconds to critical acclaim at the Berlin International Film Festival.

In July 2020, author Rainbow Rowell announced on her Twitter that the film adaptation of her book Eleanor & Park would be directed by Hikari.

In March 2024, Hikari began filming the comedy drama Rental Family in Japan for Searchlight Pictures.

Television
In 2023 she directed three episodes, including the pilot, of the comedy drama series Beef for Netflix.

Awards

 * DGA Student Award for the Best Female Filmmaker
 * Future Filmmakers Award and Audience Award at Palm Springs International Shortfest
 * Grand Jury Prizes at Oscar qualified film festivals.
 * Panorama Audience Award at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival (37 Seconds)
 * International Confederation of Art Cinemas’ Art Cinema Award in the festival's Panorama section.