Band of Ninja

OSHIMA Nagisa

Born in 1932. Graduated from Kyoto University's Faculty of Law in 1954. Joined Shochiku Ofuna Studio.He released his first directorial film “A Town of Love and Hope,” in 1959. Won the 1st Directors Guild of Japan New Director Award for “Cruel Story of Youth,” released in 1960. Hailed as a leading figure of Japanese Nouvelle-vague, he left Shochiku over the suspension of screenings for “Night and Fog in Japan” (1960). Subsequently, he founded the independent production company Sōzōsha, releasing films such as “Violence at Noon” (1966), “Sing a Song of Sex” (1967), ‘Death by Hanging’ (1968), and “The Ceremony” (1971). All his films since 1968 were released internationally. In 1975, he established Oshima Productions and produced the Japan-France co-production “In the Realm of the Senses” (1976), which received critical acclaim at the following year's Cannes Film Festival and won the Special Prize at the Chicago Film Festival and the British Academy Film Award. In 1978, he won the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival for “The Ghost of Love.” He subsequently expanded his international filmmaking with the Japan-UK-New Zealand co-production “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” (1983) and the French film “Max, Mon Amour” (1986). He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in February 1996 but later completed “Gohatto” in 1999. In 2000, he received the Minister of Education's Award for the Arts and the Medal with Purple Ribbon. In 2001, he was awarded the Mainichi Art Award and the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters (France). His wife was actress Akiko Koyama. He died of pneumonia on January 15, 2013.