Born in 1978, Mami Sunada studied documentary filmmaking while at Keio University before apprenticing as a director’s assistant under Hirokazu Kore-eda and others. Her directorial debut, Death of a Japanese Salesman, a documentary about her father’s last days after being diagnosed with cancer, garnered numerous first-time director awards. The film’s revenue also surpassed 100 million yen at the box office, exceptional for a documentary.