Film Screenings / Programs / Series
RITUALS IN THE AVANT-GARDE: FILM EXPERIMENTS IN 1960-70s JAPAN
February 20 – February 26
This series brings together a wide scope of artistic activity that emerged from the outer limits of film expression in the most politically fervent period of Japan’s recent history. The program navigates rarely screened works from the 1960s and early 1970s that span genres including documentary, dance film, animation, softcore pink, and queer cinema. What ties these seemingly disparate films together are their commitment to radical expression, which came to redefine what constituted avant-garde output. The program has been designed to coincide and resonate with the Museum of Modern Art’s ‘Tokyo 1955-1970’ exhibition and ‘Art Theater Guild and Japanese Underground Cinema 1962-1984’ film series.
Curated by Go Hirasawa and Julian Ross, and co-organized by the Japan Foundation.
Very special thanks to Katsu Kanai, Yoshihiro Kato, Henrikku Morisaki, Nobuhiko Obayashi, Michio Okabe, Akira Uno and Studio Aquirax, Tadanori Yokoo, Adachi Masao Screening Committee, The Film School of Tokyo, Film-Makers’ Coop, Fukuoka City Public Library, Keio University Art Centre, Kokuei, Nippon Connection, Ohno Kazuo Dance Studio, Siglo, Stans Company, Joshua Siegel (MoMA), Roland Domenig (University of Vienna), Haden Guest (Harvard Film Archive), Akihiro Suzuki (S.I.G.), Ryoko Obayashi and Takehito Moriizumi (PSG).
Go Hirasawa and Julian Ross will be present during the opening weekend.
