Naoko Yamada

In 2009, Naoko Yamada made her debut as a director after being selected to direct the TV series K-On! The series became a nationwide sensation and a social phenomenon, and in 2011 she helmed her first feature with the film version of K-On!, which won the 35th Japan Academy Prize for Excellent Animation of the Year. She continued to blaze a new trail with her follow-up directorial features Tamako Market and A Silent Voice, which won the 40th Japan Academy Prize for Excellent Animation of the Year and was selected for the competition section of Annecy International Animated Film Festival. She is one of the most highly acclaimed female directors in the Japanese animation industry thanks to her visual sensibilities and vivid depiction of ordinary life, as well as her strong, detailed direction.