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Motif

Hideho Urata

Cinematographer

Originally from Japan, Hideho Urata began his career in the United States. A feature film he lensed, KAMATAKI (2005), won five awards at the Montréal World Film Festival 2005, and the Crystal Bear-Special Mention at the Berlin International Film Festival 2006. He won Best Cinematography at Montreal's Fantasia International Film Festival 2009 and Best Visual Achievement at the New York Asian Film Festival 2009 for his work on THE CLONE RETURNS HOME (2008). Hideho’s latest feature film in Singapore, A LAND IMAGINED (2018) won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival 2018, and he also won Valladolid International Film Festival - Seminci for Best Cinematography and Asian Pacific Screen Award for Achievement of Cinematography for his work in A LAND IMAGINED (2018).

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Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
6 on Motif · 21 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 11% in 30 days

What are Hideho Urata's films like?

Across their 6 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
27%
Morality
17%
Society
15%
Bonds
13%
Self
12%
Power
9%
Ideas
8%
Family bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 0 · Dark 5

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 1 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 2

Ambiguous: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their ambiguous movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 1 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
5
Melancholic
4
Tense
3
Dread
2
Hopeful
2
Other
1

How their films linger

Thought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Bittersweet3
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Hideho Urata's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 6 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (2).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Hideho Urata's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

21 credits, 6 with a Motif page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Last Shadow at First Light(2023)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Renoir(2025)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Stranger Eyes(2024)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Box Man (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2024)

    Cinematographer

  • A Girl Named Ann (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2024)

    Cinematographer

  • Deep End (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2023)

    Show 5 episodes · Cinematographer

  • Plan 75(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • A Land Imagined(2018)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Permanent Resident (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2018)

    Cinematographer

  • Sanjay (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2017)

    Cinematographer

  • Lizard on the Wall (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2017)

    Cinematographer

  • The Day I Lost My Shadow (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    Cinematographer

  • 7 Letters (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2015)

    Cinematographer

  • Parting (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2015)

    Cinematographer

  • Neo Ultra Q(2013)

    Show 12 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • The Meaning of Style (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2012)

    Cinematographer

  • The Clone Returns Home (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2008)

    Cinematographer

  • Kamataki (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2005)

    Cinematographer

  • Animus Anima (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2005)

    Cinematographer

  • Bicycles and High Heels (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)

    Cinematographer

  • Celebrate Cinema 101 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1996)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 21 titles from 1996 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Plan 75 (2022)

$385K worldwide

Highest rated

Plan 75 (2022)

Midcredits 67th

Most popular right now

Neo Ultra Q (2013)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 21: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleCinematography20 of 21: 20 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score52nd

By decade

1990s1 · crew2000s4 · crew2010s9 · crew2020s7 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do Hideho Urata's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 51st percentile, the median of all 5; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 6 titles, by percentile

  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th2

Shape of the crowd

2 of their 6 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · cinematographer

Last Shadow at First Light (2023)

77th percentile spread · 23% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Plan 75 (2022)

Midcredits 67th · 57% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 73/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 58. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Hideho Urata work with?

People who share at least 2 of Hideho Urata's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Fran Borgia shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Editors

Producers