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As an actress in over 250 films, Kinuyo Tanaka (1909-1977) was one of the most celebrated and wildly popular artists of her time, regularly collaborating with consummate masters like Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi (15 films, including Ugetsu), and Mikio Naruse (whose 1952 film, Mother, introduced her to an international audience). In 1953, Tanaka boldly turned to directing her own features in an industry deprived of female filmmakers and amid outcries from her mentors (particularly Mizoguchi). Nevertheless, she fulfilled her ambition with the help of the young studio Shintoho and her faithful friends Ozu and Naruse, as well as the groundbreaking gay filmmaker Keisuke Kinoshita, who penned the screenplay for her directorial debut, Love Letter, which went on to receive critical acclaim at the 1954 Cannes Film Festival. Between 1953 and 1962, Tanaka directed half a dozen films with a determined sense of freedom and touches of provocation, placing women at the forefront of her movies as mistresses, prostitutes, poets, heroines, and victims of social injustice. Film at Lincoln Center is honored to pay tribute to Tanaka’s monumental place in film history with a retrospective including these six rare films, newly restored by the studios with which she worked: Nikkatsu, Toho, Shochiku, and Kadokawa.
Presented in partnership with Janus Films. This retrospective was conceived by Lili Hinstin. Organized by Lili Hinstin and Tyler Wilson.