Director, Special Effects Artist Yoshihiro Nishimura Dies at 59

Japanese film director and special effects artist Yoshihiro Nishimura died on Monday. He was 59. Variety reported that Nishimura had been in the hospital for nearly two weeks fighting a liver disease. Nishimura was born in Tokyo on April 1, 1967. He was known for his model-making and special effects work for many films, including Shin Godzilla, the live-action Attack on Titan film, Death Note: L, change the WorLd, and Sion Sono's Suicide Club film. Nishimura would also direct Tokyo Gore Police (Tōkyō Zankoku Keisatsu), a sci-fi horror film that was a celebrated hit in film festivals throughout 2007, before opening in Japan in 2008. Nishimura would later go on to direct or co-direct numerous other sci-fi horror or comedy films in the B-movie tradition, including Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl, Helldriver, and Mutant Girls Squad. He served as a special effects producer and consultant on other directors' films, such as Kengo Kaji's Samurai Princess, as part of his work on his own special effects company Nishimura Eizo Co., Ltd. When Nishimura died, he was working on the upcoming film Geisha War as director and co-writer. The film is currently in post-production.