He won the award for Best Director at the 24th Japan Academy Prize and at the 22nd Yokohama Film Festival for Face.

[2][3] He won the Special Jury prize for My House at the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival in 2003.

[10] He also directed A Chorus of Angels, a 2012 film starring Sayuri Yoshinaga, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Toei Company.

[11] His 2013 film, Human Trust, starred Kōichi Satō, Yoo Ji-tae, and Vincent Gallo.

[12] A number of Sakamoto's works, such as Ōte and Biriken, are set in Osaka, particularly the Shinsekai sector.