Photo/Illutration Director Koji Fukada at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on Oct. 29 after receiving the Kurosawa Akira Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival (Erina Ito)

Director Koji Fukada became one of the first recipients of the Akira Kurosawa Award in 14 years at the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).

The honorary prize was revived this year as a measure to expand the TIFF, which ended Nov. 2.

It was reinstated to honor filmmakers who are making extraordinary contributions to world cinema and are expected to help define the film industry’s future.

Past recipients of the award include world-renowned filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg and Taiwan’s Hou Hsiao-hsien.

Fukada, 42, became fascinated by cinema in his teens after watching Kurosawa’s “Stray Dog” at a free screening event.

Fukada attracted global attention when he won an award for his “Hospitalite” at the TIFF in 2010.

Since then, Fukada has become a regular attendee at international film festivals, with “Harmonium” receiving the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2016.

His film “Love Life” was screened in competition at Venice earlier this year.

His films portray the dark sides of human nature, sometimes comically and sometimes seriously.

In addition to the quality of his works, Fukada was deemed worthy of the award for his ongoing efforts to improve working conditions in the Japanese film industry.

“I was often beaten while I was working on site. I had thought it was only natural, but seeing how things were outside Japan, I realized it was not natural in any sense,” the director said. “For better or worse, Japanese cinema has a long history, and it takes a long time to change.

“South Korean directors and actors have publicly made comments not only about the film industry, but also about society. That’s why the public also supports them.”

He plans to donate the cash prize to Arts Workers Japan Association, which serves as a consultation counter for freelance film workers.

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