WWU's Cinema East Film Series presents 'The Films of Tanaka Kinuyo' throughout March

The Cinema East film series, a collaboration between Western Washington University Libraries and the Pickford Film Center, presents The Films of Tanaka Kinuyo, featuring the films of one of the most famous and revered actresses in the history of Japanese film. This series is co-presented with CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival and coincides with Women’s History Month. 

Tanaka Kinuyo directed six films during the 1950s and early 1960s, becoming only the second woman to direct films in Japan. She is also the first woman director whose work survives to this day, although the films were not available in any format and had never been screened in North America until last year, when Janus Films released newly restored versions. Beginning in March 2023, Pickford Film Center will screen all six films, along with a film that Tanaka stars in from that same period, Ozu Yasujiro’s Equinox Flower.  

Films in this series will be shown weekly through the month of March at Pickford Film Center, located at 1318 Bay Street, on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. and on several Saturdays at 1:45 p.m. All films will feature introductions from Western Washington University faculty, along with Colleen Laird, Assistant Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of British Columbia, whose research focuses on Japanese women film directors. 

“[Tanaka] was able to branch out from her role as actress to director after securing a recommendation from the Directors Guild of Japan, and this was only possible due to support of film legends Ozu Yasujirō, Naruse Mikio, and Kinoshita Keisuke with whom she had strong working relations. While the influence of these acclaimed directors is tangible in her first few films . . .Tanaka developed her own sensitivity to directing, hoping to make films from ‘a woman’s perspective’ in an otherwise male-dominated industry," Laird said.

The Films of Tanaka Kinuyo offers a rare chance to view the work of a major director whose work has been ignored for far too long. These films are still not available for home viewing, making these theatrical screenings an extremely rare experience for viewers.

Film Schedule and Screening Details:

• Wednesday, March 1, 6 p.m. Love Letter (1953), introduced by Jeff Purdue, Cinema East curator and Teaching, Learning, and Media Librarian, Western Washington University
• Saturday, March 4, 1:45 p.m. The Moon Has Risen (1955), introduced by Jeff Purdue, Cinema East curator and Teaching, Learning, and Media Librarian, Western Washington University
• Wednesday, March 8, 6 p.m. Forever a Woman (1955), introduced by Jeff Purdue, Cinema East curator and Teaching, Learning, and Media Librarian, Western Washington University, sponsored by CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival
• Saturday, March 11, 1:45 p.m. Love Under the Crucifix (1962), introduced by Colleen Laird, Assistant Professor of Japanese Studies, University of British Columbia
• Wednesday, March 15, 6 p.m. Girls of the Night (1961), introduced by Julia Sapin, Professor of Art History, Western Washington University
• Wednesday, March 22, 6 p.m. Equinox Flower (Ozu Yasujiro, 1958), introduced by Colleen Laird, Assistant Professor of Japanese Studies, University of British Columbia
• Wednesday, March 29, 6 p.m. Wandering Princess (1960), introduced by Emi Bushelle, Associate Professor of History, Western Washington University For more information about the Cinema East series, please see the PFC website, or contact Jeff Purdue at: purduej@wwu.edu, (360)-650-7750. All PFC theaters are ADA accessible with wheelchair seating, and closed captioning and assistive listening devices are available at the box office. For questions about or to request disability accommodation, please contact Meghan Schilling, meghan@pickfordfilmcenter.org.