Biography
Masaki Tamura (also credited as Masaki Tamra or たむらまさき) was a Japanese cinematographer. Born in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, he began his career at Iwanami Productions as an assistant on documentary films before becoming a full cinematographer on the documentaries of Shinsuke Ogawa.
He photographed numerous feature films, including Lady Snowblood (1973), Farewell to the Land (1982), Tampopo (1985), Evil Dead Trap (1988), Suzaku (1997) and Eureka (2000). He collaborated frequently with directors such as Mitsuo Yanagimachi and, later, Shinji Aoyama. In 1982 he won the Mainichi Film Award for best cinematography for Farewell to the Land and the Yokohama Film Festival award for best cinematography for that film and A Japanese Village – Furuyashikimura.
Tamura directed one feature film, Drive-in Gamo (2014). He died in Tokyo on 23 May 2018.
