Hideo Kojima, the creator and director behind the Metal Gear Solid franchise, has been presented with the inaugural Bradford UNESCO City of Film Award for Cinematography in Videogames during the Bradford Animation Festival.
Running from November 17th to November 22nd, the Bradford Animation Festival is held at the National Media Museum with workshops available to participate in and high-profile individuals invited to speak at the event, while also celebrating “the very best in new animation from around the world.”
Kojima has an impressive résumé for his work on Snatcher, Policenauts and, of course, Metal Gear Solid, but the Japanese developer had originally planned to become a film director before he joined Konami in 1986 as a ‘planner.’
Kojima, however, struggled early in his career before the release of Metal Gear in 1987 for the MSX2, and he has often said it was Shigeru Miyamoto’s Super Mario Bros. and Yuji Horii’s The Portopia Serial Murder Case that made him determined to succeed within the the gaming industry.
“Ever since I was a child, I’ve loved movies,” Kojima explained in his acceptance speech (see the video below). “I feel like 70 percent of my body is made of movies. Therefore I am delighted to receive this award for cinematography.
“Although I now make games, there was a time when I dreamed of being a film director. I grew up under the influence of movies, and I am proud to accept an award associated with film.”
It’s not the first award the renowned Japanese developer has received this year, as Kojima was presented with a Lifetime Achievement award during the 32nd Annual Golden Joystick Awards.
Yesterday, Hideo Kojima’s critically acclaimed Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater marked its 10-year anniversary since its release in North America on the PlayStation 2, and I wrote an editorial reminiscing about one of the most highly regarded games of all time.
Hideo Kojima’s next title, the open-world stealth title Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, is rumoured to launch in Q1 of 2015 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.