Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award
After working as a set assistant or assistant director under such filmmakers as Sogo Ishii and Kazuyuki Izutsu, he made his directorial debut in 1989 with "Dotsuitarunen" (earning the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award) and followed it up with another boxing film, "Tekken", in 1990. Sakamoto became known for action films focusing on the conflicts between male characters, such as "Tokarefu" and "New Battles Without Honor and Humanity", but has also made films centered on female characters such as "Face" and "Awakening". He won the award for Best Director at the 24th Japan Academy Prize and at the 22nd Yokohama Film Festival for "Face". He won the Special Jury prize for "My House" at the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival in 2003.