CINEMA

Internationally

As of 2019, five Shochiku titles have been nominated for Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards of the USA, with Departures winning for Foreign Language Film. Shochiku has also received numerous awards at major international film festivals. Here, we present some of the titles that have won awards at major film festivals or have been nominated for competitions and some titles that have been screened as classics at major film festivals.

Select official film festival entries and awards received

Shochiku motion pictures have been highly acclaimed internationally since the 1950s. Twenty-Four Eyes won a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language in 1955 from the American organization, as did Eyes of Children in 1956 and Rose On His Arm in 1957. Shochiku also has an illustrious history of awards from the Cannes Film Festival, the Venice International Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival, the Academy Awards of the USA, and other organizations.

In recent years, The Eel won the Palme d’Or (the most prominent prize) at France’s Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and Departures won the USA’s Academy Award for Foreign Language Film in 2009.

Here are some awards that have been received at major film festivals.

Yoji Yamada
Director: Yamada Yoji
Year: 2010
Berlin International Film Festival
Berlinale Camera Award
©2014 “The Little House” Film Partners
The Little House (Chiisai Ouchi)
Director: Yamada Yoji
Year: 2014
Berlin International Film Festival
Silver Bear for Best Actress Award (Kuroki Haru)
©2008 Departures Film Partners. All Rights Reserved
Departures (Okuribito)
Director: Takita Yojiro
Year: 2009
Academy Awards
Foreign Language Film Award winner
©2007 Koji Yamamura / Yamamura Animation, Inc. / Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Franz Kafka’s A Country Doctor (Franz Kafka Inaka Isha)
Director: Yamamura Koji
Year: 2007
Annecy International Animated Film Festival
Nominated for Le Cristal d’Annecy (Short films)
Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Year: 2005
Berlin International Film Festival
Berlinale Camera Award

hidden-blade-posterfinal.jpg
©2004 Shochiku / Nippon Television Network / Sumitomo / Hakuhodo DY Media Partners / Nippon Shuppan Hanbai / Eisei Gekijo All Rights Reserved
The Hidden Blade (Kakushi Ken, Oni no Tsume)
Director: Yamada Yoji
Year: 2005
Berlin International Film Festival
Competition
seibeioscar
©2002 Shochiku Co., Ltd. / Nippon Television Network Corporation / Sumitomo Corporation / Hakuhodo Inc. / Nippon Shuppan Hanbai Inc. / Eisei Gekijo Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved
The Twilight Samurai (Tasogare Seibei)
Director: Yamada Yoji
Year: 2004
Academy Awards
Nominated for Foreign Language Film
Gohatto-poster
©1999 Shochiku / Kadokawa Shoten / IMAGIKA / BS Asahi / Eisei Gekijo All Rights Reserved
Gohatto (Gohatto)
Director: Oshima Nagisa
Year: 2000
Cannes Film Festival
Competition Futures Films
あ春-main
©1998 “Wait and See” Film Partners
Wait and See (Ah, Haru)
Director: Soumai Shinji
Year: 1999
Berlin International Film Festival
Panorama
FIPRESCI Prize
© 1998 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Sada (Sada)
Director: Obayashi Nobuhiko
Year: 1998
Berlin International Film Festival
Competition
FIPRESCI Prize
©1997 SOFTGARAGE Inc. / SHOCHIKU BROADCASTING. Co., Ltd. / KENMEDIA. Co.Ltd
The Eel (Unagi)
Director: Imamura Shohei
Year: 1997
Cannes Film Festival
Palme d’Or
©1991 KSS Inc. / Shochiku Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved
Nowhere Man (Muno no Hito)
Director: Takenaka Naoto
Year: 1991
Venice International Film Festival
International Film Critic’s Week Competition
FIPRESCI Prize (Parallel Sections)
©1989 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Rikyu (Rikyu)
Director: Teshigahara Hiroshi
Year: 1990
Berlin International Film Festival
Panorama
CICAE Prize
©1990 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
The Sting of Death (Shi no Toge)
Director: Oguri Kohei
Year: 1990
Cannes Film Festival
Grand Prize of the Jury
FIPRESCI Prize
©1987 Shochiku / Kinematokyko / Nichiei
Shinran: Path To Purity (Shinran: Shiroi Michi)
Director: Mikuni Rentaro
Year: 1987
Cannes Film Festival
Jury Prize
©1986 “Gonza, the Spearman” Film Partners
Gonza, The Spearman (Yari no Gonza)
Director: Shinoda Masahiro
Year: 1986
Berlin International Film Festival
Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution
©1967 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Portrait of Chieko (Chiekosho)
Director: Nakamura Noboru
Year: 1968
Academy Awards
Nominated for Foreign Language Film
©1962 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Harakiri (Seppuku)
Director: Kobayashi Masaki
Year: 1963
Cannes Film Festival
Special Jury Prize
©1963 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Twin Sisters of Kyoto (Koto)
Director: Nakamura Noboru
Year: 1964
Academy Awards
Nominated for Foreign Language Film
©1961 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Immortal Love (Eien no Hito)
Director: Kinoshita Keisuke
Year: 1962
Academy Awards
Nominated for Foreign Language Film
©1959 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Human Condition (Ningen no Joken)
Director: Kobayashi Masaki
Year: 1960
Venice International Film Festival
San Giorgio Prize
Pasinetti Award
©1957 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Rose On His Arm (Taiyo to Bara)
Director: Kinoshita Keisuke
Year: 1957
Golden Globe Awards
Best Foreign Film – Foreign Language winner
©1956 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Eyes of Children (Kodomo no Me)
Director: Kawazu Yoshiro
Year: 1956
Golden Globe Awards
Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language winner
©1954 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Twenty-Four Eyes (Nijushi no Hitomi)
Director: Kinoshita Keisuke
Year: 1955
Golden Globe Awards
Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language winner

Select history of classic works screened at film festivals

Ozu Yasujiro, Mizoguchi Kenji, Kinoshita Keisuke, Nakamura Noboru, Oshima Nagisa, Yamada Yoji—many masters and greats have come out of Shochiku to become glittering stars worldwide. The works and masterpieces these directors poured their souls into are surely the pride of Japan and are treasures for the world at large. Shochiku continues to publish these works as Shochiku Cinema Classics .

One of the important tasks of Shochiku Cinema Classics is digital repair. Motion picture titles created in the 20th century were mostly shot and screened using film. Film deteriorates unless it is stored with care in low temperature and low humidity. Even should the film be in good condition, because of the decrease in commercial instruments to screen film, it is becoming ever urgent to repair and digitize audio and video to pass them on to the next generation.

2019

©1998/2019 侯孝賢映像製作社 / Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Flowers of Shanghai 4K Digitally Restored (海上花: Hai Shang Hua)
【World Premiere】
Director: Hou Hsiao-hsien
Shanghai International Film Festival
Classic Section

2018

©1953/2017 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Tokyo Story 4K Digitally Restored (Tokyo Monogatari)
【World Premiere】
Director: Ozu Yasujiro
Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Classics
©1957/2017 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Tokyo Twilight 4K Digitally Restored (Tokyo Boshoku)
【World Premiere】
Director: Ozu Yasujiro
Berlin International Film Festival
Berlinale Classics

2017

©1952/2017 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice 4K Digitally Restored (Ochazuke no Aji)
【World Premiere】
Director: Ozu Yasujiro
Venice International Film Festival
Venice Classics

2016

©1951/2016 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Early Summer Digitally Restored (Bakushu)
【World Premiere】
Director: Ozu Yasujiro
Berlin International Film Festival
Berlinale Classics
©1945/2016 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Momotaro, Sacred Sailors Digitally Restored (Momotaro Umi no Shinpei)
【World Premiere】
Director: Seo Mitsuyo
Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Classics

2015

©1939/2015 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum Digitally Restored (Zangiku Monogatari)
【World Premiere】
Director: Mizoguchi Kenji
Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Classics
晩春
©1949/2015 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Late Spring Digitally Restored (Banshun)
【World Premiere】
Director: Ozu Yasujiro
MoMA
World Premiere

2014

©1960/2014 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Late Autumn Digitally Restored (Akibiyori)
【World Premiere】
Director: Ozu Yasujiro
Berlin International Film Festival
Berlinale Classics
“Home Sweet Home” ©1951 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Home Sweet Home (Wagaya wa Tanoshi)
When It Rains (Doshaburi)
The Shape of Night (Yoru no Henrin)
【World Premiere】
Director: Nakamura Noboru
Berlin International Film Festival
Berlinale Forum
“Good Morning” ©1959/2013 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Good Morning Digitally Restored (Ohayo)
Equinox Flower Digitally Restored (Higanbana)
An Autumn Afternoon Digitally Restored (Sanma no Aji)
【World Premiere】
Director: Ozu Yasujiro
Hong Kong International Film Festival
©1960/2014 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Cruel Story of Youth Digitally Restored (Seishun Zankoku Monogatari)
【World Premiere】
Director: Oshima Nagisa
Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Classics

2013

tokyomonogatarBD_H1
©1953/2017 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Tokyo Story Digitally Restored (Tokyo Monogatari)
【World Premiere】
Director: Ozu Yasujiro
Berlin International Film Festival
Berlinale Classics
©1962/2013 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
An Autumn Afternoon Digitally Restored (Sanma no Aji)
【World Premiere】
Director: Ozu Yasujiro
Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Classics
©1958/2013 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Equinox Flower Digitally Restored (Higanbana)
【World Premiere】
Director: Ozu Yasujiro
Venice International Film Festival
Venice Classics
©1964 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
The Shape of Night (Yoru no Henrin)
【World Premiere】
Director: Nakamura Noboru
Venice International Film Festival
Venice Classics
“Jubilation Street” ©1944 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Jubilation Street (Kanko no Machi)
Woman (Onna)
Engagement Ring (Konyaku Yubiwa)
Farewell to Dream (Yuyake gumo)
A Legend or Was It? (Shito no Densetsu)
Director: Kinoshita Keisuke
Berlin International Film Festival
Berlinale Forum

2012

©1958/2012 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
The Ballad of Narayama Digitally Restored (Narayama Bushi Ko)
【World Premiere】
Director: Kinoshita Keisuke
Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Classics
©1951/2012 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Carmen Comes Home Digitally Restored (Carmen Kokyo ni Kaeru)
【World Premiere】
Director: Kinoshita Keisuke
Venice International Film Festival
Venice Classics

2005

©1954/2007 Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Twenty-Four Eyes Digitally Restored (Nijushi no Hitomi)
Director: Kinoshita Keisuke
Berlin International Film Festival
Berlinale Special