Eiji Shimada (b. 1976, Kushiro, Japan) earned a degree in architecture from the University of Hokkaido before specializing in filmmaking while on a summer course at the University of California, Los Angeles. His directorial film was the short Hands (2001), the first Japanese film to win an award at the California Independent Film Festival. Besides directing films, Shimada teaches cinematography in elementary schools in Sapporo (since 2002) and filmmaking at the Hokkaido University (since 2008).
