National Film Archive of Japan Calendar (April, 2020 – March, 2021)
*NFAJ will be closed on Mondays, during screening preparation, between exhibitions; Mar. 9-May. 28, 2020 → July 6, Dec. 28, 2020 -Jan. 4, 2021.
The National Film Archive of Japan had been closed to the public since March due to the renovation of its Kyobashi Main Building, which was later suspended caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus. NFAJ has reopened its doors on Tuesday, July 7, 2020. The extension of the period of closure has resulted in the following changes(written in red) to our screening and exhibition schedule.
Please take a look at NFAJ’s visitor guidelines and infection prevention measures before your visit.
*Further updates on our screening and exhibition events will be announced on this page.
Nagase Memorial Theatre OZU
EU Film Days 2020
※ All screenings at NFAJ have been cancelled.
May 30 – June 21, 2020
Instead, it is going to be held online. Please see the official website for further details on EU Film Days 2020 online.
Co-organizers: The Delegation of the European Union to Japan, and the embassies and the cultural institutes of the EU member states in Japan
EU Film Days is a series showcasing films from the member states of the European Union (EU). Now in its 18th edition (13th to be held at NFAJ), EU Film Days brings together a wide variety of films, introducing the diversity of European society and culture to audiences in Japan.
Shochiku Cinema at 100
※ The schedule has been changed.
Before the changes June 25 – September 6, 2020
After the changes July 7 – September 6, 2020
Celebrating the 100th anniversary of Shochiku Cinema, this program will trace its history through its representative works from silent films to Kamata-cho and Ofuna-cho style dramas, jidaigeki (period films), “Shochiku nouvelle vague,” and recent films.
42nd Pia Film Festival
September 12 – 26, 2020
Co-organizers: PFF General Incorporated Association, Kawakita Memorial Film Institute, and UNIJAPAN
Pia Film Festival, which has been supporting young and upcoming filmmakers and introducing new talent to audiences both in Japan and overseas, now its 42nd edition, holds again the “PFF Award Competition,” the biggest competition for “self-produced films (aka Jishu-Eiga)” in the world, special programs and screenings with film personalities as guest lecturers
Toshiro Mifune Retrospective at His Centenary
October 2 – 22, 2020
Commemorating the centenary of the birth of Toshiro Mifune (1920–1997), internationally acclaimed dynamic actor representative of post-World War II Japanese films as well as producer and director, this program will survey his footsteps.
Selection of American Films (tentative)
※ Due to the rescheduling of Clint Eastwood on 35mm, The screening program “Selection of American Films ” has been postponed to the next fiscal year or later.
October 29 – November 8, 2020
Instead “Selection of American Films”, “Clint Eastwood on 35mm” will be held during the period. For more detailed information, please see this page.
This program showcases the diversity of American movies in both styles and contents, along with ethnic and cultural diversity of the United States represented in them. Vintage prints will be included.
Silent Film Days 2020
November 10 – 15, 2020
This is an established program that shows silent films mainly from the NFAJ collection with the live music accompaniment or the oral explanation of the benshi film narrator as many silent film festivals around the world.
Setsuko Hara Retrospective at Her Centenary
November 17 – December 11, 2020
Commemorating the centenary of the birth of Setsuko Hara (1920–2015), actress who made her screen debut at 15 and went on to fascinate the audience with her grace and beauty in the films of Toho studio and Yasujiro Ozu, this program will survey her footsteps.
Yoshiko Yamaguchi Retrospective at Her Centenary
November 17 – December 11, 2020
Commemorating the centenary of the birth of Setsuko Hara (1920–2015), actress who made her screen debut at 15 and went on to fascinate the audience with her grace and beauty in the films of Toho studio and Yasujiro Ozu, this program will survey her footsteps.
Tracing the Chinese Cinema:
from the Silent Era to the Fifth Generation
January 5 – 31, February 9 – 14 (Rescheduled Screening), 2021
Co-organizer: China Film Archive
This program will present noted films and restored films of Chinese cinema from the 1920s to the 1990s.
New Challenges: Japanese Films in the 1980s
※ The schedule has been changed.
Before the changes February 9 – March 28, 2021
After the changes February 16 – March 5, 2021
This program will present representative Japanese films in the 1980s, the decade during which while the output of major studios decreased, new filmmakers and production companies emerged, transforming the entire movie industry.
As for the event “In Celebration of UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage,” please see the following page.
B1 Theatre
Clint Eastwood on 35mm
※ The schedule has been changed.
※ Screenings will not be held on Mondays and December 1 (Tue)
※ Clint Eastwood on 35mm will be held at Nagase Memorial Theatre OZU as well as at B1 Theatre.
Before the changes June 26 – July 26, August 13 – 16, 2020 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday only)
After the changes October 29 -December 6, 2020
Co-organizer: Warner Bros. Japan LLC
This program is a retrospective screening for the films which Clint Eastwood directed / starred in, such as Dirty Harry (1971) and Unforgiven (1992), presented in 35mm prints with Japanese subtitles owned by Warner Bros. Japan LLC.
Films from NFAJ Collection: Autumn 2020 (tentative)
Films from NFAJ Collection: Winter 2021 (tentative)
After the change
Rescheduled Screening of “Rethinking Postwar Japanese Documentary Films”
Kihachiro Kawamoto and Tadanari Okamoto, Puppet Animation Filmmakers
February 19 – March 28, 2021 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday only)
‘Films from NFAJ Collection: Autumn 2020′(November 13 – 29→March 12 – 28) and ‘Films from NFAJ Collection: Winter 2021′(February 19 – March 7) have been cancelled. Instead ‘Rescheduled Screening of “Rethinking Postwar Japanese Documentary Films”‘, ‘Kihachiro Kawamoto and Tadanari Okamoto, Puppet Animation Filmmakers’ will be held during the period.
As for the educational programs held at B1 Theatre, please see the following page.
Educational Programs
Kids’ Cinema: The Summer Vacation of 2020
July 31 – August 1, 7 – 8, 2020 @B1 Theatre
This is the program for children up to junior high school students. It intends to cultivate their aesthetic sensibility and image literacy through the wonder and joy of films on screen.
In Celebration of UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
[Screenings and Lectures]Picturesque Japan: Japanese Landscape as Seen by the World
October 24 – 25, 2020 @Nagase Memorial Theatre OZU
Co-organizers: National Film Archive of Japan, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan Arts Council
Celebrating UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (October 27), this special event provides the opportunity to learn the importance of moving image preservation.
This year, NFAJ will introduce precious films from the BFI collection, which were shot in Japan in the Meiji period by foreigners. This special screenings will show how Japanese images, landscapes and culture have been presented to the world.
V4 Countries Kids Film Festival
December 12, 2020 @B1 Theatre
Co-organizers: The embassies and the cultural institutions of V4 countries
Animation and other films of Visegrad Four (V4: Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Republic), along with their cultures, are showcased for children in this program.
Gallery
Temporary Exhibitions
Shochiku Cinema at 100
May 29 – August 30, 2020 →July 7 – August 30, 2020
Shochiku Cinema, founded in 1920, has attracted a large audience, and at the same time has led the industry with its unique and innovative masterpieces. This exhibition will present a 100-year history of Shochiku Cinema, which has been a major pillar of the Japanese cinema, with posters, photographs, scenarios, costumes, and various other materials.
Rashomon at the 70th Anniversary
September 12 – December 6, 2020
Co-organizers: The Museum of Kyoto, Visual Industry Promotion Organization
Rashomon not only made Akira Kurosawa world-famous but also drastically elevated the status of Japanese cinema. At 70 years from its release and 110 years from the director’s birth, this exhibition will explore this film from various perspectives, approaching the core of its beauty.
Kihachiro Kawamoto and Tadanari Okamoto, Puppet Animation Filmmakers
December 19, 2020 – March 28, 2021 (Closed: December 28 – January 4, February 1 – 8)
This exhibition will present the works of two animation artists, Kihachiro Kawamoto (1925–2010) and Tadanari Okamoto (1932–1990), who have been highly acclaimed for their unique works using various techniques and have made great contributions to development of puppet animation in Japan.
Permanent Exhibition
Nihon Eiga: The History of Japanese Film
From the NFAJ Non-film Collection
Japanese cinema has already had a history of over one century with two golden ages. This exhibition surveys the history through posters, still photographs, documents, cameras, the personal items that belonged to noted film personalities and other materials from the NFAJ Collection.
*Captions in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean