Three Continents Festival
His first two films as a director, "Moonlight Whispers" and "Don't Look Back", were both released in 1999 and earned Shiota the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award. "Don't Look Back" also won the Jury Prize at the Three Continents Festival. "Harmful Insect" (2002) screened at the Venice Film Festival and earned two more awards at the Three Continents Festival. His first major commercial film, "Yomigaeri", was the fourth biggest grossing Japanese film of 2003. "Canary", his 2005 film inspired by the killings of Aum Shinrikyo in 1995, won the top prize at the Raindance Film Festival. "Dororo", based on a manga by Osamu Tezuka, was the eighth top-grossing Japanese film of 2007.