Tribeca Festival 2023; video game developer Hideo Kojima the focus of new documentary to premiere at festival

Festival season is certainly upon us, both in terms of music with Creamfields South and Slam Dunk Festival taking place this bank holiday weekend, and only a fortnight until the annual Tribeca Festival 2023 begins, as Lower Manhattan welcomes the creative industry from July 7 2023. 

The festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro, is celebrating it’s 21st birthday this year, with it’s founder also in the spotlight as his 1993 film, ‘A Bronx Tale,’ gets a revisit on the big screen as it too celebrates an anniversary - 30 years since De Niro made his directorial debut, based on the stage-play of another renowned actor in known well for his roles in the “mobster movie” genre, Chazz Palminetri.

Being the video game nerd that I am at Peopleworld, however, another film premiering at Tribeca this year caught my attention immediately; ‘Hideo Kojima – Connecting Worlds,’ focusing on the career of legendary video game developer Hideo Kojima, whose works include Metal Gear Solid, Snatcher, Policenauts and the recent Norman Reedus motion captured game, Death Stranding. 

The documentary follows Kojima's creative process through the launch of his Kojima Productions studio as an independent studio. It includes appearances from Guillermo del Toro, Nicholas Winding Refn, Grimes, George Miller, Norman Reedus, Woodkid, and Chvrches. Quite the who’s who of names, all with an appreciation or have taken an influence from the hallowed Japanese video game designer.

Glen Milner, the documentary’s director, was originally from Yorkshire, England and after working through the camera ranks on films such as Terrence Malick's ‘Tree of Life’ decided to focus his own visual approach onto documentary storytelling. His recent films for BBC, Lucasfilm, National Geographic, and Channel 4 have gone on to receive wide-spread critical acclaim and multiple awards from institutions such as The Royal Television Society.

‘Hideo Kojima – Connecting Worlds’ will debut at The Indeed Theater at Spring Studios in New York City on June 17 at 5:00 p.m. EDT, with Hideo Kojima participating in an extended Q&A session after the screening.

Who is Hideo Kojima?

Hideo Kojima is a renowned Japanese video game designer, director, and producer. He was born in Tokyo in 1963 and grew up playing video games, which sparked his interest in the industry. Kojima is best known for creating the Metal Gear series, which revolutionised the stealth genre in video games. He has received numerous awards and recognition for his work in the industry, including being inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame in 2016.

Kojima's career in the video game industry began in 1986 when he joined Konami as a designer. He worked on a variety of games before developing the first Metal Gear game in 1987. This game was a huge success and spawned several sequels, cementing Kojima's reputation as a talented game designer. In 2015, Kojima left Konami and founded his own studio, Kojima Productions.