OZU Yasujiro (1903-1963) rose to fame at the Shochiku Kamata film studio and witnessed the two golden eras of Japanese cinema before and after World War II. Influenced by Ernst Lubitsch and Harold Lloyd, he specialized in silent comedy and realist working-class drama in his early career, and later focused on middle-class family settings with his consistent style of low-angle camera, contemplative pacing, and precise composition. This "tofu-maker" who humbly claimed he made only one type of film, often reworked similar plots and characters throughout his career. However, he was able to exhibit different sensibilities and extract the rich, nuanced flavors of daily life in post-war Japan. Western scholars have used terms such as "mono no aware" and "zen" to describe how Ozu embodies Japanese aesthetics, and how his poignant use of "pillow shots" evokes lasting emotions that permeate across scenes.

This retrospective features eight new restorations of Ozu's post-war films, including the timeless "Noriko Trilogy" and other lesser-known gems that portray marginalized people and prohibited desires rarely seen in the master's creations. Since Ozu's passing, directors of different countries and generations have repeatedly paid tribute to Ozu in their films. Through selecting these works, this program also explores the enduring reverberations of Ozu's influence on world cinema.

※ Special Thanks: SPOT-Taipei ( Taipei Film House )