Girls on Film

Females in Contemporary Japanese Cinema

9 February to 21 March 2010

The 2010 Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme considered Japanese cinema made for, about, and, in some cases, by women. Women have continuously been at the centre of Japanese cinema, with notable examples being films by Kenji Mizoguchi and Mikio Naruse, and even the animated works of Hayao Miyazaki.

This programme presents works from the past few years and showcases how Japanese contemporary filmmakers, from the very established such as the late Jun Ichikawa, to young and promising filmmakers like Satoko Yokohama, approach the issues facing women. This season also includes works by female directors, reflecting the exciting trend of a marked increase in the number of female directors working in the Japanese film industry.