Japanese-born Journalist and Filmmaker Mirai Konishi has worked in the en-tertainment industry for over 25 years. After earning a BA in English and American Literature at Rikkyo University in Tokyo, Konishi moved to Los Angeles in 1995 to study Film Production at the School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California.

He began his journalistic career in Los Angeles in 1996 when Weekly Young Jump, a popular manga magazine in Japan offered him a chance to interview the stars and filmmakers of a Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery action film, The Rock. Although journalism wasn’t his career goal, Konishi realized it offered an unparalleled opportunity to learn about the art of film as well as the machinations of the entertainment industry. After earning an MA in Fine Arts in Filmmaking, he became a Los Angeles correspondent for CUT maga-zine in 1999, and went on to interview the biggest stars in Hollywood which included one-on-ones with auteurs such as Steven Soderbergh, David Finch-er, David Lynch, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson and Christopher Nolan. At the same time, he wrote columns and industry news for EIGA.COM, Japan’s number one movie news site.

Since he joined the HFPA in 2011, Konishi expanded his field by appearing as a regular interviewer and commentator for Japan’s national morning show ZIP! In 2015, he released his first documentary feature, “Kampai! For the Love of Sake” which explores sake rice wine through the perspective of the people who have made it their obsession. It premiered at the San Sebastian International Film Festival and went to Tokyo and Hawaii international film festivals, among others. He followed up in 2019 with its sequel, “Kampai! Sake Sisters.” At the 93rd Annual Academy Awards, he reported from the red carpet for WOWOW, one of Japan’s premium channels.