Biography
Ryuma Matsuzaka is an internationally acclaimed film and theater artist. Born in Japan March 28, 1983, Matsuzaka has starred in no fewer than 12 critically acclaimed films, including Water Girls (2017 - Dir. Y.Ye), selected for the New York Short Film Festival, FAB3 (2015 - K.Shimasaki), winner of Outstanding Performance by the Fukuoka Independent Film Festival, and In the Hero (Eng. Unsung Hero) (2014 - M.Take), which won a Japan Academy Award, Light and Shadow (2014 - J.Suzuki), winner of Tama New Wave Arushiten Competition, and Maiko (2013 - Y.Fushimi), winner of Moving Pictures Festival, Nieuwmoer, Belgium, Aniki (Eng. Big Brother) (2012 - J.Suzuki), winner of Grand Prize at the Second Iwaki Bouken Film Festival, and Eden (2012 - M.Take), nominee for Nippon Cinema Award at the Nippon Connection, Germany.
Early years: 2002-2009 Matsuzaka began his acting career in 2002 when he joined the esteemed Zen Hirano Acting Studio, where he studied method acting from Zen Hirano, who in 1968 became the first Asian member of the elite Actors Studio, and his wife, Miyuki Hirano. There, Matsuzaka studied the Strasberg and Chekhov acting methods. So impressed with his acting abilities, Miyuki Hirano dedicated a section of her book "The Liberation of Emotion: The Theme of Theater Expression and Method Acting" (2007) to Matsuzaka, describing his strength of emotion and courage as an actor (referring to him as "Shinya" for privacy), and including an acting essay he wrote.
Initially focusing on theater, Matsuzaka was a core member of two distinguished Japanese theater companies: Mukon Theater Company and Kantokirkto Theater Company, and he performed in lead and other starring roles and scriptwriter in a number of Japanese "Off-Broadway" type plays and venues, including Sakura - The Gift (2014) at Theater Brats Tokyo with Mukon Theater Company, The Five Easels (2009) at Raft Tokyo with Jaken Theater Company, Maihama Vice (2009) at Duo Stage BBs Tokyo with Attention Please Theater Company, Wagahaiha Ningendearu (2008) at Yorozu Theater Tokyo with Kantokirkto Theater Company, Kokuhaku no Omnibus (2007) at the Theater Momo Tokyo with Kantokirkto Theater Company, Jinsei Owarai Gekijou (2006) at the Ginza Play Theater Tokyo with Kantokirkto Theater Company, Yanagisawa Omocha Honpo Shinshouhin Kikakushitsu Kaihatsu Shuninno Hanashi (2006) at the Theater Momo Tokyo with Kantokirkto Theater Company, Ame Monogatari (2005) at the Ginza Play Theater Tokyo in November 2005 and Kokkai Lunch at the Akashi Studio Tokyo with Kantokirkto Theater Company.
Notably Matsuzaka starred in an art film, Gold Standard (2008), directed by David Kelley. Gold Standard is a video installation that re-enacts in Tokyo a 1964 performance by Robert Rauschenberg. The film considers the American post-modern painter's performance against the anti-American student demonstrations occurring in Japan at the same time.
Film Crossover: 2010-Present From around 2010-11, Matsuzaka began focusing on film acting and entered the Schooling Pad for Film (SPF), an actors and directors community founded by renowned Japanese producer/director Bong-Ou Lee emphasizing interaction and sharing among teachers and students. Matsuzaka studied at SPF from 2011-13, and in that time was twice awarded Best SPF Actor by Bong-Ou Lee, Japanese director/screenwriter Masaru Take and Japanese actor Houka Kinoshita. Matsuzaka has been credited with starring roles in no less than 7 major motion picture productions by IMDb and the Japan Film Database (JFDB). His films have won awards in not only the United States (including New York, New Jersey and Texas), but also Hong Kong, Belgium, Brazil, the UK, Germany, Estonia and his native Japan. In 2016, Matsuzaka entered HB Studio in New York to study the Uta Hagen acting method under such famous actors as Paul Pryce and Snezhana Chernova.
Mr. Matsuzaka's films are available on Amazon Prime and Netfilx. Mr. Matsuzaka has appeared in films with other famous artists like Houka Kinoshita, Shuhei Nomura and Dean Fujioka. Mr. Matsuzaka and his art have also received abundant publicity, with articles, photos and listings appearing on the pages of Shukan NY Seikatsu, NY Japion, Kazo City News Bulletin, New York Point Guide, HB Studio Official Brochure, Land TV (YouTube) Channel, Yo Clown, Nylon Japan, The Dusty Rebel, Karaoke DAM, TV Drama Database, and CoRich Theater & Art Review, among many others.
Humanitarian Work Matsuzaka is a founding member of "MoMO" (Movin'on Movie Oasis), a mobile movie project which commenced efforts at the "Tohoku Film Festival 2011 in Matsushima" to support films and filmmaking around the devastated areas of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Special Roles In 2018, Matsuzaka was named special acting coach to Alice Project - Kamen Jyoshi group, a wildly popular underground girls-band among its fan base and one of Japan's top idol groups.
Since 2015, Matsuzaka has been writing film and theater entertainment articles and providing other content for New York Point Guide (NYPG), a popular curated online media site that provides solutions for Japanese tourists' concerns when traveling to New York for the first time. NYPG garners over 120,000 page views per month and maintains over 11,000 Instagram and Twitter followers.
For fashion magazine Nylon Japan, Matsuzaka created the company's official documentary of top Japanese model and fashion designer Ikumi's show at Fashion Week in 2016. He was director and editor.
Along with Riku Saitou, Matsuzaka is a core content creator for the popular LAND TV YouTube channel (2015), with over 113,000 views and 1,300 subscribers. Matsuzaka participated as a lead and supporting actor, and as cameraman for the channel's Film Tourists Guide Book NY series (2015-16) and as lead actor and scriptwriter for the channel's Real English: How Do You Say series (2015-16). He also created short film dramas like Take It Easy (2015) for the channel.
Selected Filmography Metalca (Eng. Dead Banging)(2014) Orbis (2013) Water Girls (2017) Greatful Dead (2014) Aniki (Eng. Big Brother) (2012) Tourists Film Guidebook (2015-16) Asiantam: Anata to Futari (2014) Eden (2012) Real English: How Do You Say? (2015-16) Kujira no Ita Natsu (2014) Ogon Wo Daite Tobe (Eng. Fly with the Gold) (2012) FAB3 (2015) Maiko (2013) Innocent Episode 2: Kingyo no Yume (2012) Take It Easy (2015) Kamisama no Itazura (2013) Iedeoyaji to Sanbiki no Doraneko (2011) Light and Shadow (2014) I Am Ichihashi: Taiho Sareru Made (2013) Period Uttara Catharsis (2011) In the Hero (Eng. Unsung Hero)(2014) Hyoryu Hikki (2013) Cream (2010)
Selected Theater Performances Sakura - The Gift (2014) at Theater Brats Tokyo with Mukon Theater Company Wagahaiha Ningendearu (2008) at Yorozu Theater Tokyo with Kantokirkto Theater Company Yanagisawa Omocha Honpo Shinsouhin Kikakushitsu Kaihatsu Shuninno Hanashi (2006) at Theater Momo Tokyo with Kantokirkto Theater Company Maihama Vice (2009) at Duo Stage BBs Tokyo with Jaken Theater Company Kokuhakuno Omnibus (2007) at Theater Momo Tokyo with Kantokirkto Theater Company Ame Monogatari (2005) at Ginza Play Theater Tokyo with Kantokirkto Theater Company The Five Easels (2009) at Raft Tokyo with Jaken Theater Company Jinsei Owarai Gekijou (2006) at Ginza Play Theater Tokyo with Kantokirkto Theater Company Kokkai Lunch (2005) at Akashi Studio Tokyo with Kantokirkto Theater Company
In the Media IMDb Website. IMDb maintains a website which publishes current and archived film information. The IMDb website recognizes Matsuzaka's starring role in many major productions.
Japan Film Database (JFDB). JFDB maintains a website which publishes current and archived film information. The JFDB website recognizes Matsuzaka's starring role in many major productions.
Additional Media. Matsuzaka has appeared in NY Japion Newspaper, November 16, 2018; Kazo City News Bulletin, November 2018; Shukan NY Seikatsu, October 27, 2018; New York Point Guide (NYPG), June 29, 2018; Yo Clown, 2017; HB Studio Official Brochure, 2017; Land TV Channel Programs (2015-16); NY Japion Newspaper, June 24, 2016; Nylon Japan, April 15, 2016; New York Point Guide (NYPG), June 10, 2015; The Dusty Rebel, May 31, 2015; Karaoke Dam: Anata to Futari (2014) by Asian Tam; TV Drama Database, Feb. 4-25, 2013; TV Drama Database, Jan. 2, 2013; TV Drama Database, March 31, 2012; CoRich Theater & Art Review, May 27, 2009; CoRich Theater & Art Review, August 24, 2008; and CoRich Theater & Art Review, May 22, 2007.
Selected Related Associations and Organizations New York Point Guide (NYPG) Land TV YouTube Channel Respect Co., Ltd. (and its Sumomo Division) 155works Inc. Kleeblat Inc., The Alice Project - Kamen Joshi Group Mukon Theater Company Kantokirkto Theater Company HB Studio Schooling Pad for Film Zen Hirano Acting Studio
Selected Associated Film and Theater Artists Bong-Ou Lee Eiji Uchida Houka Kinoshita Masaharu Take Song Kwang Gi Zen Hirano Miyuki Hirano Snezhana Chernova Paul Pryce Yuta Yasuda Junpei Suzuki
