Born in Tokyo, Japan. The son of Sofu Teshigahara, the founder of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana, who was a leading figure in the movement that transformed traditional flower arrangement into a highly expressive art form. The younger Teshigahara studied painting at the Tokyo Art Institute and made his first contact with film as a critic. He began directing documentary shorts in the early 1950s and moved onto features in the 60s. After shooting the short documentary JOSE TORRES (1959), his first feature-length film, OTOSHIANA / THE PITFALL (1961), was by his own definition a "documentary fantasy." It revealed a preoccupation with the bizarre which blossomed into a compelling abstract experience in SUNA NO ONNA / WOMAN IN THE DUNES (1964). The latter film, made independently for a mere $100,000, made a strong impression on Western audiences with its bold imagery and enormous close-ups and won the Jury Prize at Cannes. Teshigahara's subsequent films, mainly psychological thrillers, were deemed less daring or innovative. He had his own film company, Teshigahara Productions, and made a series of films, often with writer Kobo Abe. In addition to WOMAN IN THE DUNES, their films included TANIN NO KAO / THE FACE OF ANOTHER in 1966 and MOETSUKITA CHIZU / THE RUINED MAP in 1968. In the late 1960's Teshigahara was the toast of the international film community, appearing at festivals, collecting awards and promoting Japanese film. After releasing SAMA SORUJA / SUMMER SOLDIERS in 1972, Teshigahara withdrew from feature filmmaking and turned his attention to ceramics and experimental cinema. In 1980, after the death of his father and his sister, Teshigahara became the third head of his father's school, which reports 50,000 licensed followers and 450,000 students. After a 17-year hiatus, Teshigahara returned to films in 1989 with RIKYU, about the subtle conflict between a petty warlord and a distinguished master of the ancient art of the tea ceremony. It won the award for best artistic contribution at the Montreal World Film Festival. His last film was "Goh-Hime" GOH-HIME / BASARA: THE PRINCESS GOH (1992). He died of leukemia at the age of 74.  Nominated for Directing 1965: SUNA NO ONNA (WOMAN IN THE DUNES) 1 nomination