Shinzo was born in Osaka prefecture in 1981. After working as an assistant director for Japanese films, including Nobuhiro Yamashita’s works, he crossed paths with Bong Joon-ho while the latter was shooting Tokyo (2008) and served as his assistant director. Shocked and attracted by Bong’s directorial style, he moved to South Korea and worked for Bong on Mother (2009) as assistant director. This experience hugely affected his creativity afterwards. In 2019, his debut feature Siblings of the Cape was selected by numerous domestic and international film festivals, including Göteborg Film Festival, the Geneva International Film Festival, and the Taipei Film Festival. Despite being a low-budget independent film, its shocking narrative and direction led the film to be an unexpected hit at a Japanese box office, and it gained a high reputation through word of mouth. He now is one of the most promising, emerging directors in Japan. Missing is his second feature.