Though the most honored director in his own country, Yasujirō Ozu (1903-1963) achieved acclaim in the West only after his death on his 60th birthday. For most of his career, this greatest of world filmmakers worked in the uniquely Japanese shomin-geki genre: uncomplicated stories about ordinary people. His favorite themes included families, fathers, and the remembered joys of childhood and college life — little of which he experienced himself. He was separated from his own father at a very young age, and never married or went to college. 

Ozu’s techniques are among the most eccentric and austere in cinema history: little-to-no camera movement, straight cutting from scene to scene, the unvarying low camera angle (aka “the tatami shot,” from the eye level of someone sitting on a tatami mat), unpeopled "still life" shots bridging sequences — a deceptively simple style, yet one that no other director has been able to replicate.

Academy is proud to put the spotlight on this fantastic director with a selection of films from throughout his career that reflect his best qualities as a director. He wrestles with pop culture in provocative, visually striking ways, and tackles controversial subject matter with non-traditional narrative structures and stylised performances from some of the industry's biggest stars.

Playing May 18-23 at Academy Cinemas!