discovered alternative animation as a graphic arts student at Kyoto Seika University.
went on to study animation at Tokyo University of Arts under Koji Yamamura and Ilan Nguyen.
she has been influenced by a wide range of film directors (Wenders, Tarkovsky, Ozu, Kitano, Kubrick, Chaplin, Buñuel), animators (Pärn, Patel, Leaf, Yamamura, Toccafondo) and artists (Cezanne, Magritte, Klimt, Bosch, Ogata, Arimoto).
in addition to animation, Kitamura works as an illustrator and a graphic designer.
helped out fledgling indie label CALF by designing their website for them.
Munroe Hotes, Catherine. Review of Getting Dressed, Nishikata Film Review, 31 Dec. 2010.