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Kinuyo Tanaka: A Life in Film

Celebrating the actor who played an essential role in the history of Japanese cinema.

Contracted as a teen to Shōchiku studios in 1924, Kinuyo Tanaka flourished during the first golden age of Japanese cinema, acting for major directors including Yasujirô Ozu, Mikio Naruse and Kenji Mizoguchi. As Japan emerged from the destruction of the Second World War, societal roles for women radically shifted. Tanaka seized this opportunity, moving from superstar actor to directing commercial films.

Complementing our wider BFI Southbank season of her work, here we present this selection of Tanaka's essential collaborations with Japan's master filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu.

 

- Kristy Matheson, season programmer and Creative Director of Edinburgh International Film Festival

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Equinox FlowerEquinox Flower

Comedy1958118 minsDirector: Yasujirō Ozu

Ozu's deft comedy takes an ironic look at the decline of paternal authority.