Hiroshi Inagaki Retrospective at his Centenary

Commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Hiroshi Inagaki(1905-80), master-hand director well known for dynamic motion pictures featuring big stars, over 50 of his films will be shown in this program. They include famous titles such as Muhomatsuno issho (1943, 58) and Furinkazan (1969) as well as the precious titles which will be screened for the first time since their initial release.

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Shiro Toyoda Retrospective at his Centenary

Commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Shiro Toyoda (1905-77), over 40 of his films will be shown in this program. He made a number of films based on famous novels such as Meoto zenzai (1955), Yukiguni (1957) and Bokuto kitan (1960) in which his emphasis on subtle and nuanced acting based on his sharp observation of human nature is manifest.

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Cinema: Lost and Found 2005

"Cinema: Lost and Found" provides an opportunity to screen the motion pictures that have recently been collected and restored by NFC. Its 5^th edition will include recent findings at Gosfilmofond, national film archive of Russia, as well as those found within Japan.

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Mikio Naruse Retrospective at his Centenary

August 20, 2005, marks the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Mikio Naruse (1905-69) who has gained international critical acclaim in recent years. This program will start on the day of his birth and comprehensively show his oeuvres including the masterpieces such as Ukigumo (1955) and Nagareru (1956) that are especially rich in emotional expressions.

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Torajiro Saito and Hiromasa Nomura Retrospective at their Centenary

Commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the births of Torajiro Saito (1905-82) and Hiromasa Nomura (1905-79), this program will show as many as possible of the surviving titles. Saito is known for diverse comedy films ranging from sharp farce to family dramas. Nomura made popular films such as the "yotamono (hooligan)" series (1931-35) and Aizen katsura (1938-39), a huge nationwide hit.

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The 6^th Tokyo FILMeX: Nobuo Nakagawa Retrospective at his Centenary

Following the successful Hiroshi Shimizu Retrospective (2003) and Tomu Uchida Retrospective (2004), NFC is co-organizing this program with Tokyo FILMeX. Nobuo Nakagawa, who has yet to be "discovered" internationally, made a number of strong films including the horror masterpiece Tokaido yotsuya kaidan (1959). All films will have English subtitles.

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Yu Hyeonmok Retrospective

Commemorating the Korea-Japan Friendship Year 2005, NFC will show representative films by Yu Hyeonmok (1923-) who is well known for masterpieces such as An Aimless Bullet (1961) and Descendant of Cain (1968). Yu was the driving force of the Korean film industry in its first Golden Age of the 1960s together with directors Shin Sang-ok and Kim Ki-Yeong.

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Silent Film Renaissance

This is an annual program that shows quality silent films with live piano accompaniment. This year’s edition will feature silent films by important Japanese directors commemorating their centenary in the first half, and in the latter half, will screen German and Austrian silent films most of which have recently been restored.

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A Study of German and Austrian Cinema: From the National Film Center Collection

Including the recently added titles, this program will show German and Austrian films that are in the NFC collection. Special focus will be on those made in the pre-war period.

Rediscovering Shochiku Films

Co-organized with Shochiku Co., Ltd. which is celebrating its 110^th anniversary, this program will show high-quality yet relatively unknown Shochiku films.

Matsunosuke Onoe and the Culture of Period Films

In the 130^th anniversary of the birth of "Medama (eyeball)" Matsunosuke, this exhibition will show precious materials about this first movie star in Japan who dominated the Japanese film industry in its nascent years during the 1910s and 1920s by starring in a total of over 1,000 films. In addition, the exhibition will also focus on the period film genre stars who were active in the post-Onoe era.

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Shochiku in the History of Japanese Cinema

It was in 1920 when Shochiku, an entertainment entity with its own theater troupes, branched out to the film industry and the Shochiku Kinema was founded. Held in conjunction with the screening program at Cinema 2, this exhibition will trace the history of Shochiku that has always been in the forefront of the film industry in Japan throughout the eras of silent, sound, and color cinema.

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Permanent Exhibition

The Japanese Film Heritage

From the Non-Film Collection of the National Film Center

This show presents selected pieces from our collection of cinema-related materials, including rare articles left by renowned cineastes and filmmaking devices from early days of cinema, as well as examples of important achievements in film preservation activities to provide a historical overview on the film preservation movement in Japan.