The Beauty of the Everyday:
Japan’s Shochiku Company at 110

As a special sidebar of the 43rd New York Film Festival, Film Society of Lincoln Center will celebrate Japan's seminal film studio, "Shochiku," with a 44-film retrospective.

Founded in 1895 as a Kabuki theater, Shochiku will celebrate its 110th anniversary in 2005. Now Shochiku has become one of Japan's leading motion picture companies. Their world-renowned production include films by Yasujiro Ozu, Hiroshi Shimizu, Keisuke Kinoshita, Kenji Mizoguchi, Akira Kurosawa, Nagisa Ohshima, Takeshi Kitano.

The retrospective will feature the history of the company's aclaimed films from the 1921 silent film "Souls on the Road" to Yoji Yamada's latest samurai epic "The Hidden Blade."


More Information :
Film Society of Lincoln Center
http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/showing/shochiku.htm
Shochiku Company
http://www.shochikufilms.com/festival/index.html

Naruse: The Unknown Japanese Master

It's not widely known that Mikio Naruse was the first Japanese director to be reviewed in The New York Times (14 years before Rashomon) and still virtually unknown in USA despite championing by important critics like Susan Sontag, Phillip Lopate, Audie Bock and Donald Richie. In fact James Quandt once quoted him as the Japanese film master who was "revered by Kurosawa, chanpioned by Susan Sontag, defied in Japan."

In honor of the 100th anniversary of his birth, Film Forum will host the first New York retrospective, featuring 31 feature films, most of them in new 35mm prints and spanning Naruse's entire career, from 30s silents up to his last film, 1967's "Scattered Clouds."

Film Forum:
209 West Houston Street
between 6th Ave and Varick (7th Ave)
212-727-8112
212-727-8110

More Information :
Film Forum
http://www.filmforum.org/films/naruse.html

"Celluloid Samurai" Film Series: Gohatto (1999)

The Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture will feature "Gohatto," movie by Japanese master director Nagisa Oshima, as a part of "Celluloid Samurai" Film Series.

Japanese word "Gohatto" means "taboo" in English. This is a Samurai movement movie, but is also about being gay samurai at the period of swordsmanship.

Introduced by Gregory Pflugfelder, Associate Professor of Japanese History, Columbia University

At:
304 Barnard Hall, Barnard College
Broadway Between 116th St & 120th St
http://www.barnard.edu/visitors/barnard.html

Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture :
http://www.donaldkeenecenter.org/

An Evening of Conversation: Japanese Cinema in New York Today

A number of film series and events related to Japanese film are taking place in New York city this fall. The Donald Keene Center will present an evening of informal conversation among some of the organizers and other experts on Japanese film.

Among the invited participants are Paul Anderer (Columbia), Linda Hoaglund (Japan Society), Grady Hendrix (Subway Cinema), and Richard Pena (Film Society of Lincoln Center).

At:
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University
(116th St. and Amsterdam Ave.)
http://www.columbia.edu/about_columbia/map/

Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture :
http://www.donaldkeenecenter.org/

"Celluloid Samurai" Film Series: Twilight Samurai (2002)


The Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture will feature "Twilight Samurai," a movie by Japanese director Yoji Yamada, as a part of "Celluloid Samurai" Film Series.

"Twilight Samurai" is a movie about a middled-ages samurai "Seibei" who's been widowed by his wife and raising two children by himself. It's near the end of samurai era and there's been not much work for samurai, Saibei is no exception. He works hard for the living of two kids.

Nominated for 2003 Academy Award's best foreign film, this is a very heart-warming, calming film.

Introduced by Haruo Shirane, Shincho Professor of Japanese Literature, Columbia University

At:
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University
(116th St. and Amsterdam Ave.)
http://www.columbia.edu/about_columbia/map/

Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture :
http://www.donaldkeenecenter.org/

JAPAN: Memoirs of a Secret Empire
Part 1: The Way of the Samurai
Part 2: The Will of the Shogun
Part 3: The Return of the Barbarians


This very educational and entertaining program focuses on the period called "Edo," 250 years of solicity from the rest of the world (Sakoku). How it was started and how it came to end.

Ruled by the shogun with absolute power and control the empire prohibited trading with other countries, thus shutting down the possibilities of infuence from the Western and Christian world. Until the Black Ship (Kurofume) and Commodore Mathew C. Perry arrived from the USA in 1853 and demande Japan to open the market.

The program as well as its website is full of exciting information about not so well known history of Japan.

PBS
http://www.pbs.org/empires/japan/index.html

Station
Channel: WLIW 21

Showtimes
Part 2
Tuesday, August 30, 8:00pm
Wednesday, August 31, 12:00am
Friday, September 2, 3:00am
Monday, September 5, 2:00am
Part 3 (Conclusion)
Tuesday, September 6, 8:00pm
Wednesday, September 7, 12:00am
Friday, September 9, 3:00am
Monday, September 12, 2:00am