Homage to Madame Kawakita: 24 Japanese Classics (2)

For decades and until her death, Kashiko Kawakita (1908–1993) was the "Grand Dame" of Japanese cinema, the ambassador of Japanese films abroad. Together with her husband Nagamasa Kawakita, the founder and president of the firm Towa (later "Toho"), she had a key function in representing Japanese cinema abroad and importing Western (including German) films to Japan. She founded the Japan Film Library Council that was later renamed to Kawakita Memorial Film Institute and for many years consults foreign festivals in selecting Japanese films. If Japanese cinema enjoys a strong presence worldwide, this is also thanks to this institute and Kashiko Kawakita.

In the 1960s, Madame Kawakita also founded the production firm Art Theatre Guild (ATG) that played a pivotal role in the development of Japanese "New Wave" films of Oshima, Terayama and Imamura. In a unique way, Madame Kawakita formed a bridge between Japanese cinema and the West. Since 1983, the Kawakita Memorial Film Institute annually grants the Kawakita Award to directors, film critics and film historians for their outstanding commitment to Japanese cinema. This year, on the occasion of Kashiko Kawakita’s 100th birthday, the Kawakita Memorial Film Institute compiled a package of Japanese film classics titled "A Wreath for Madame Kawakita" that has been touring the world since last May and will now be screened at Arsenal.