KYOTO INTERNATIONAL FILM AND ART FESTIVAL 2022

Kuro Tanino

Born in Toyama Prefecture in 1976. Tanino is the head of theater group Niwa Gekidan Penino, and he is a professional playwright and theater director. He was a Senior Fellow of the Saison Foundation (until 2015). He founded Niwa Gekidan Penino in 2000 while he was attending medical school. Since then, he has written and directed all of its theatrical productions. He has been invited to numerous major theater festivals in Japan and abroad—Europe especially. In addition to his own company’s performances, he wrote and directed Chekhov?, which was produced by the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre in January 2011. His portrayal of a beautiful spirit world that is both mad and paper-thin has been well received. In March 2015, he presented a new play, Water Cage, in Germany. In 2016, he received the 60th Kishida Prize for Drama for The Dark Inn. In 2016, he received the Art Encouragement Award from the Kitanippon Shimbun and the Excellence Award at the 71st ACA National Arts Festival. In 2019, he received the Culture and Arts Award at the 36th Toyama Awards. Since 2020, he has been producing shows that combine theater and video using VR technology, such as Dark Master VR.