YURIA MATSUSHITA  is now recognized as one of the world’s finest up and coming young film directors. Born in Ehime, Japan in 1977, her travels to study a variety of different art forms in many parts of the world have given her a global perspective which is readily apparent in her work. Yuria’s father Bunji is Japanese and has been recognized as one of Japan’s earliest and most important advocates of international understanding. Yuria’s mother Elzbieta is Polish from a family of artists, architects and stage actors. 

Yuria learned classical ballet from the age of four. As a young adult she graduated from the London College of Fashion in 1998, specializing in makeup and hair for performing arts, then in 1999 she studied sculpture at the Academy of Fine Art in Poznan, Poland before moving in 2000 to Thailand, where she studied classical art and began to compose poetry and scripts for film and stage performances. In 2001 her independent film “Tutu” was nominated for the PIA Film Festival. 

In 2002 Yuria moved her base back to her hometown in Japan where she was joined by her sister Erika, a well credentialed choreographer and costume designer, to establish the TORANOKO Performing Arts Company. TORANOKO specializes in a specific form of visual art combining a broad spectrum of theatrical art with various exhibitions and children playing the main parts. The children of TORANOKO have a motto - “The World is Our Stage”. In 2008 Yuria directed “Canna Lily” for the Hitachi Maxell Hi-Vision Theatre. She then directed performances of “Zanmu” which were set in a tropical garden and began in Kielce, Poland in 2009 to celebrate the thousandth year of the town’s foundation, and which ran for nine years. In that same year 2009, Yuria was awarded her Master’s Degree from Wasada University’s Global Information and Telecommunications School, specializing in digital cinematography. 

In 2011 Yuria started a stage production based on Shuji Terayama’s book of poetry for girls. Under the directorship of Yuria and her sister Erika, the TORANOKO company performed Terayama’s “I Want to Dance But I Can’t Dance” in Tokyo. In 2013 TORANOKO performed Terayama’s “Stolen Memories” in the Poznan Opera House in Poland during Japan Week. 

In 2015, in collaboration with famous animation film director Koji Yamamura, Yuria began a stage production of Yamamura’s most acclaimed film “Muybridge’s Strings” during the International Festival in Przemysl, Poland. 

In 2017, under Yuria’s directorship, TORANOKO performed “Muybridge’s Strings and Rhythm of Motion” at BankART NYK in Yokohama, Japan and was officially invited to perform at the Etiuda & Anima Film Festival in Krakow, then in Teatr Muzyczny, Poznan and Dom Sztuki Wiolinowa in Warsaw.

In 2019 Yuria directed in film, Shuji Terayama’s “A Story Sewn and Bound with a Red Thread” for which she scripted and art-directed the production, with her sister Erika as the producer and costume designer. This film has been publicly acclaimed and so far has won no less than ten awards in film festivals around the world. These include the Special Jury Award at the International Professional Feature Film Competition at the 12th NNW International Film Festival.

In 2020 Yuria directed the musical video “Hide & Seek” made for the online screening of the Chopin Village Festival in Tobe, Japan, which won four awards.

In 2022, under Yuria’s directorship, TORANOKO performed “Schoolgirl” which is based on the novel by Osamu Dazai.

Her international achievements continued in 2022, with the Japanese promotional film "33 Thirty three" screened at the Japan Pavilion during the 75th Cannes Film Festival. In 2024, Yuria and her sister Erika, as the "Yuria & Erika Sisters", received the prestigious Aesthetica Art Prize 2024 in the UK. The duo was praised as “remarkable artists reflecting on the world on both individual and universal levels.”

In 2024 Yuria directed in short film, Osamu Dazai’s “MEAN ANGEL” for which she scripted and art-directed the production, with her sister Erika as the producer and costume designer.

 

 

ERIKA MATSUSHITA is a multifaceted artist whose talents shine on both stage and screen. Her artistic journey began in 1995, studying ballet in the UK, acting and oil painting in Australia, and costume design in Thailand.  

In 2002, Erika co-founded the TORANOKO Performing Arts Company in Ehime, Japan, alongside her sister Yuria. With a mission to uncover new talents and enrich lives through artistic expression, TORANOKO offers comprehensive lessons in vocal performance, art, and creative expression, while also producing stage and film works. The company's vision is to make the world a better place and create a brighter future through the power of artistic expression. Its efforts have been recognized both domestically and internationally, expanding its reach from local stages in Japan to the global arena.  

In 2015, Erika embarked on media performance collaborations with Koji Yamamura’s “Muybridge’s Strings and Rhythm of Motion”. This innovative art form blended animation, theater, dance, and music, leading to acclaimed performances in Poland's International Arts Festival and Yokohama in 2016. The project received further praise in 2017 at the International Animation Festival in Krakow, Poland.  

In 2019, Erika showcased her versatility as producer, costume designer, and music producer for the film “A Story Sewn and Bound with a Red Thread”, shot in Toon City, Ehime. The film garnered numerous awards at international festivals. She also served as costume and art director for the short film "FLASH BACK BEFORE DEATH", which won Best Short Film New Vision at the Sitges Film Festival.  

Her international achievements continued in 2022, with the Japanese promotional film "33 Thirty three" screened at the Japan Pavilion during the 75th Cannes Film Festival. In 2024, Erika and her sister Yuria, as the "Yuria & Erika Sisters", received the prestigious Aesthetica Art Prize 2024 in the UK. The duo was praised as “remarkable artists reflecting on the world on both individual and universal levels.”  

Recently, Erika's career as a vocalist reached new heights through collaborations with world-renowned pianist Magdalena Żuk. As an experienced vocal coach, Erika provides Broadway-style lessons, guiding students to unlock their voices, build confidence, and discover their unique sound. Her teaching philosophy embodies William James's words: “We don’t sing because we’re happy; we’re happy because we sing.”

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