Yearly Calendar 2008
National Film Center Calendar (April, 2008 – March, 2009)
Cinema 1
L'univers cinématographique de Jean Renoir
Rétrospective Jean Renoir
April 1-23, 2008
Commemorating the “Renoir + Renoir exposition” at the Bunkamura Museum of Art, this program will screen 15 films by Jean Renoir including his debut film La fille de l’eau, Boudu sauvé des eaux, and French Cancan.
Cinema: Lost and Found 2008
April 24-May 15 / May 23-June 1, 2008
“Cinema: Lost and Found” is the series to showcase the achievements by the National Film Center as the film archive by screening recently collected and restored films. In its 6th installment this year, the program will include rare films that have been found thanks to the cooperation by the foreign film archives and the collectors and digitally restored screening prints, among others.
Kazuo Hasegawa and Teinosuke Kinugasa
June 3-July 20, 2008
Master film director Teinosuke Kinugasa (1896-1982) who made a diverse range of films including the pre-war avant-garde film Kurutta ippeiji and Jigokumon that won the grand-prix at Cannes Film Festival in the post-war era, and the big star of Japanese cinema Kazuo Hasegawa (1908-1984) who is also known as the synonym for a “handsome actor” worked in a productive partnership throughout their lives. Commemorating the centenary of the birth of Hasegawa, this program will survey the careers of the two men.
Madame Kawakita: L'Ambassadrice cinématographique du film européen
July 25-September 28, 2008
March 21st, 2008 will mark the centenary of the birth of Kashiko Kawakita (1908-1993) who, together with her husband Nagamasa Kawakita, devoted her life to cinema by vigorously introducing foreign films to Japan while promoting Japanese films abroad. This program will review her life through the screenings of the films she was involved in. A special focus will be given on the French films she selected and brought to Japan in order to also commemorate the 150th anniversary of exchange between Japan and France.
Denjiro Okochi and Daisuke Ito in Celebration of 110th Anniversary of their Birth
October 7-November 21, 2008
Commemorating the 110th anniversary of the births of master director Daisuke Ito (1898-1981) and star actor of period films Denjiro Okochi (1898-1962), this program will survey their achievements through many of the extant films. Ito was instrumental in establishing “jidaigeki eiga (period films)”, a leap from the traditional “kyugeki (old theater)” films by inventing narrative and expressive methods that are uniquely cinematic. Okochi is perhaps best known for his extremely popular role as Tangesazen. The partnership of the two men was often praised as the perfect combination.
Tokyo Filmex 2008: Special Program KURAHARA Koreyoshi Retrospective
November 22-30, 2008
This year, the series co-organized by TOKYO FILMeX will enter its 6th year. The program will screen about 12 classic Japanese films with English subtitles.
Co-organizer: TOKYO FILMeX Organizing Committee
Fumio Kamei Retrospective at his Centenary
December 2-27, 2008
Documentary film director Fumio Kamei (1908-1987) addressed issues such as war, nuclear problems, and social distortion caused by the high economic growth throughout his life by creating controversial films including Tatakau heitai and Ikitete yokatta. Commemorating the centenary of the birth of this master director of Japanese cultural and documentary films, this program will survey his career by screening his representative films including his PR films and educational films.
Cross-section of Japan’s Cinematic Past [Part 3]
Monster and Science Fiction Film
January 6-February 22, 2009
“Cross-section of Japan’s Cinematic Past” is the series that aims to present Japanese film heritage from a wide range of perspectives including genres and subject matters. Following the part 1 on Nikkatsu action films and the part 2 on song and dance films, the part 3 will focus on Japanese monster and science fiction films. Masterpieces such as “Godzilla” and “Gamera” that were created with the uniquely Japanese special effects will be screened.
Nederland in Japan 2008-2009
Holland Film Festival
February 24-March 15, 2009
Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Japan and Netherlands in 2008 as well as the 400th anniversary of the trade between the two countries in 2009, this program will screen 18 Dutch films including some recent ones. Co-organizers include the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
A Selection of Canadian Animation: From the Collection of La Cinémathèque Québécoise
March 17-29, 2009
Canada has produced a number of unique artists of animated films including Norman McLaren who is well known for his experimental techniques. Co-organized by la Cinémathèque québécoise, this program is the retrospective of Canadian animation films.
Cinema 2
EU Film Days 2008
May 16-June 5, 2008
This is the 6th installment of “EU Film Days,” the unique series that showcases recent films of the member nations of European Union (EU). [May 16-22 at Cinema 1]
Co-organizers: The Delegation of the European Commission to Japan, The Embassies and the cultural institutions of the EU member nations.
The History of Japanese Independent Cinema [Part 1] Retrospective of Pia Film Festival
June 24-July 18, 2008
“Pia Film Festival” celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2008. With the clear focus on the “independent” films in the 8mm and 16mm formats by young filmmakers, the competition of this festival has functioned as the gateway to successful filmmaking careers for a number of film directors who are central figures in today’s Japanese Cinema. This program will look back over the history of this unique film festival through the successive award-winning films and other films of special significance. Co-organizer: Pia Corporation.
KYOBASHI-ZA
Under the title of "KYOBASHI-ZA", Cinema 2 presents films from the NFC collection several times a year. For the program schedule, please see our website and fliers.
Gallery
Japanese Literature in Film Part 1 –From the NFC Non-film Collection
April 4-July 20, 2008
This new series has been conceived to examine how Japanese literary works have inspired films by displaying relevant films posters, still photographs and scripts from the NFC collection. This time, in part 1, the focus will be put on the films that are based on the literary works of the ancient and medieval ages, through the Meiji and Taisho eras (1868-1926).
Madame Kawakita, Her Life and Films
July 25-September 28 / October 7-December 26, 2008
Kashiko Kawakita (1908-1993) brought great films from all over the world to the Japanese audience, and together with her husband Nagamasa Kawakita, led the distribution company Towa for many years. Co-organized by Kawakita Memorial Film Institute, this exhibition will showcase her tremendous achievements in connecting the world and Japan through her extensive and sustainable friendly relations with prominent filmmakers worldwide.
Soviet Film Posters in the Silent Era
January 8-March 29, 2009
This exhibition will show over 100 Soviet film posters of the Silent era from the Ippei Fukuro collection that is now part of the NFC collection. These posters by ambitious artists including the Stenberg brothers vividly convey the power of the Russian Constructionists through the daring sense of composition.
The Japanese Film Heritage
–From the Non-film Collection of the National Film Center
Permanent Exhibition
The permanent exhibition features some of the most interesting items among NFC’s collection. It exhibits extremely rare movie devices from the early history of cinema. Also exhibited are personal effects that belonged to historical figures in the pioneering days of Japanese cinema. Another feature of the exhibition monitors achievements made in Japanese film preservation, showing archival findings and preserved films.
