A influential filmmaker spotlight, highlighting a selection of their films.

Often cited as the “fourth great master” of Japanese cinema, Mikio Naruse (1905-1969) crafted an austere world across his four-decade career, excavating the lives of women and the milieu of Japan’s working class, accentuated by his profound sense of despair. A longtime director for Toho, Naruse became a renowned master of the shoshimin eiga (common people’s drama) and was lauded as one of the great directors of women.

The 35mm film prints are presented with the support of the Japan Foundation.