National Film Archive of Japan Calendar (April, 2023 – March, 2024)
*NFAJ will be closed on Mondays, during screening preparation, between exhibitions; Dec. 25, 2023 -Jan. 4, 2024.
*Please take a look at Note to visitors before your visit.
*The screening program “Nagisa Oshima Retrospective,” “EU Film Days 2023” will be held at B1 Theatre due to the maintenance of Nagase Memorial Theatre OZU. (Updated: May 9, 2023)
*Schedule and titles of the programs may change.
*Further updates on our screening and exhibition events will be announced on this page.
Nagase Memorial Theatre OZU
In Memory of Film Figures We Lost in 2021-2022
Due to the maintenance of Nagase Memorial Theatre OZU, the duration has been changed.
July 4 – September 3, October 10 – 22, 2023
※As for this program, there will be no screenings on October 13 – 14.
This regular program is organized as a memorial to Japanese cineastes such as directors, actors and crew, who deceased in the last two years. This year we recognize the achievements of those who passed away between January 1 of 2021 and December 31 of 2022.
45th Pia Film Festival 2023
September 9 – 23, 2023
Co-organizer: PFF General Incorporated Association
Pia Film Festival, which has been supporting young and upcoming filmmakers and introducing new talent to audiences both in Japan and overseas, now its 45th 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..
Silent Film Days 2023
October 3 – 8, 2023
This is an established program that shows silent films mainly from NFAJ collection with the live music accompaniment or the oral explanation of the benshi film narrator as many silent film festivals around the world.
TIFF/NFAJ Classics: Yasujiro Ozu Week
October 24 – 29, 2023
Co-organizer:Tokyo International Film Festival
This program celebrates digitally restored Japanese films with English subtitles, in cooperation with the Japanese Classics section of the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Yumeji Tsukioka and Umetsugu Inoue at their Centenary
October 31 – November 26, 2023
The actress Yumeji Tsukioka (1921-2017), highly recognized for her beauty and brilliant performances, went into the movies from the Takarazuka Revue, and had a long successful career. Her husband, the director Umetsugu Inoue (1923-2010) made outstanding films throughout his career with all major studios. Commemorating the centenary of these two cineastes, who are one of the most glorious couples in the Japanese film history, we present the definitive selection of their renowned works. This program is linked with the exhibition of the same title.
Repatriated Film Collection [Part 1]: Fiction Films, 1930-1945
November 28 – December 24, 2023
This program is a large retrospective of the pre-war Japanese films that were repatriated from the Library of Congress between 1967 and the 1990s. Some of the prints will be shown for the first time.
Film Treasures from Il Cinema Ritrovato
January 5 – February 4, 2024
Co-organizer: Cineteca di Bologna
Il Cinema Ritrovato, commenced by the FIAF member Cineteca di Bologna, is the event which presents films restored by archives and laboratories all over the world. This program showcases the restored Italian films, and other films that had been screened at Il Cinema Ritrovato in cooperation with the CIneteca di Bologna.
Women Who Made Japanese Cinema［Part2］
: From the 1970s to the 1980s
February 6 – March 24, 2024
Following the 2022 program “Women Who Made Japanese Cinema [Part1]: From the Silent Era to the 1960s”, we focus on the achievements of female directors and staff to trace their footsteps in Japanese film history.
As for the event “In Celebration of UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage,” please see the following page.
B1 Theatre
Nagisa Oshima Retrospective
April 11 – May 28, 2023
A decade after the death of the world-renowned filmmaker Nagisa Oshima, this program extensively shows his works including serial TV films, such as The Dawn of Asia (Asia no Akebono) . Along with the exhibition of the same title, we trace the remarkable career of the director who relentlessly raised problems of the post-war Japanese society.
EU Film Days 2023
June 2 – 30, 2023
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 21st edition (15th 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.
Koji Yamamura Retrospective
August 11 – 27, 2023 ※Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays only
Koji Yamamura, a leading figure of independent animation films, is internationally recognized for his unlimited, poetic imagination. This program showcases most of his works.
Films from the NFAJ Collection: Winter 2024
January 19－February 4, 2024 ※Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays only
This program introduces the variety of the NFAJ collection.
As for the educational programs held at B1 Theatre, please see the following page.
Educational Programs
Kids’ Cinema: The Summer Vacation of 2023
July 28 – 29, August 4 – 5, 2023 @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
SAWAMURA Shirogoro, The Great Star of Early Period Films Lectures and a Special Screening of Goromasamune Koshiden [Digitally Restored]
October 14, 2023 @Nagase Memorial Theatre OZU
Celebrating UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage(October 27), this special event provides the opportunity to learn the importance of moving image preservation.
Film Screening and Talk: Selected Works by Yamazaki Hiroshi and THE SEAS OF YAMAZAKI HIROSHI
October 21, 2023 @B1 Theatre
Co-organizer: TOKYO INSTITUTE of PHOTOGRAPHY
For more detailed information, please see the following page (in Japanese).
International Symposium on Film Education 2023: Toward the Next Steps from Overseas Case Studies
October 28, 2023 @B1 Theatre
Co-hosted by Tokyo International Film Festival
Produced and operated by Children Meet Cinema
An international symposium on film education. Films made by children from overseas will be screened, and a discussion will be held with overseas experts.
V4 Countries Kids Film Festival
December 9, 2023 @B1 Theatre
Co-organizers: The embassies and the cultural institutions of V4 countries
Animation and other films of Visegrad Four (V4: Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia), along with their cultures, are showcased for children in this program.
Gallery
Temporary Exhibitions
Film Director Nagisa Oshima
April 11－August 6, 2023
※Closed: May 30－June 1, 2023
A decade after the death of the world-renowned filmmaker Nagisa Oshima, we trace his remarkable career, which is permeated by radical intelligence and challenging activity. Supervised by Naofumi Higuchi, the editor and author of Oshima Nagisa Zen-Eiga Hizo Shiryo Shusei (Treasured Documents Collection from Nagisa Oshima Films), this exhibition presents the precious documents formerly owned by the director, which are involved in the book, as well as the related items from our collection.
Yumeji Tsukioka and Umetsugu Inoue at their Centenary
August 22－November 26, 2023
※Closed: September 5－8, September－October 1, 2023
The actress Yumeji Tsukioka (1921-2017), highly recognized for her beauty and brilliant performances, went into the movies from the Takarazuka Revue, and had a long successful career. Her husband, the director Umetsugu Inoue (1923-2010) made outstanding films throughout his career with all major studios of Japan, and was also engaged by the Hong Kong movie industry. Commemorating the centenary of these two cineastes, who are one of the most glorious couples in the Japanese film history, we exhibit the best and most precious items related to them.
Makoto Wada: Works on Film
December 12, 2023－March 24, 2024
※Closed: December 26－January 4, 2024
To the designer and illustrator Makoto Wada (1936-2019), cinema was a lifelong friend and the source of his inspiration. He published a lot of illustrations of cineastes around the world, wrote a lot of books on cinema, directed four feature films without having any formal training, and was an ardent collector of movie posters and films. This exhibition sheds a light on the close connection between cinema and his creativity.
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