Kei Kumai
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese film director from Azumino, Nagano prefecture. After his studies in literature at Shinshu University, he worked as director's assistant.
He won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award
for his first film, Nihon rettō, in 1965. His 1974 film Rise, Fair Sun
was entered into the 24th Berlin International Film Festival
.
Perhaps his best-known film is Sandakan No. 8
, which received widespread acclaim for tackling the issue of a woman forced into prostitution in Borneo before the outbreak of World War II. Kinuyo Tanaka
won the Best Actress Award
at the 25th Berlin International Film Festival
for her performance.
Kumai's follow-up film was 1976's Cape of North, starring French actress Claude Jade
as a Swiss nun who falls in love with a Japanese engineer on a trip from Marseilles to Yokohama
. His 1986 film The Sea and Poison
won the Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize
at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival
. In 1992, his film Luminous Moss
was entered into the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival
.
Other works include Ocean to Cross, Death of a Tea Master starring Toshirō Mifune
as Sen no Rikyū
(Silver Lion at the 1989 Venice Film Festival) and the 2002 film The Sea Is Watching, based on Akira Kurosawa
's last script.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese film director from Azumino, Nagano prefecture. After his studies in literature at Shinshu University, he worked as director's assistant.
He won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award
Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award
The is given annually by the Directors Guild of Japan to a new director of a film released that year who is considered the most "suitable" for the award. The winner is selected by a committee formed of DGJ members. All formats—feature film, documentary, television, video, etc.—are eligible for...
for his first film, Nihon rettō, in 1965. His 1974 film Rise, Fair Sun
Rise, Fair Sun
is a 1973 Japanese drama film directed by Kei Kumai. It was entered into the 24th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Tatsuya Nakadai - Sakuzo* Kinya Kitaoji - Asao, Haruko's lover* Keiko Takahashi - Haruko, Sakuzo's daughter...
was entered into the 24th Berlin International Film Festival
24th Berlin International Film Festival
The 24th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 21 to July 2, 1974.-Jury:* Rodolfo Kuhn * Margaret Hinxmann* Pietro Bianchi* Gérard Ducaux-Rupp* Kurt Heinz* Akira Iwasaki* Arthur Knight* Manfred Purzer...
.
Perhaps his best-known film is Sandakan No. 8
Sandakan No. 8
is a 1974 Japanese film directed by Kei Kumai. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.-Plot:A young female journalist is researching an article on the history of Japanese women who were forced to work as prostitutes in Asian brothels during the early 20th century...
, which received widespread acclaim for tackling the issue of a woman forced into prostitution in Borneo before the outbreak of World War II. Kinuyo Tanaka
Kinuyo Tanaka
was a Japanese actress and director.Tanaka was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. She became a leading actress at an early age, appearing in Yasujirō Ozu's I Graduated, But... in 1929...
won the Best Actress Award
Silver Bear for Best Actress
The Silver Bear for Best Actress is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for achievement in performance by an actress.-Awards:- External links :*...
at the 25th Berlin International Film Festival
25th Berlin International Film Festival
The 25th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 27 to July 8, 1975.-Jury:* Sylvia Syms * Ottokar Runze* Henry Chapier* Else Goelz* Albert Johnson* Rostislav Yurenev* Carlo Martins* S...
for her performance.
Kumai's follow-up film was 1976's Cape of North, starring French actress Claude Jade
Claude Jade
Claude Marcelle Jorré, better known as Claude Jade , was a French actress, known for starring as Christine in François Truffaut's three films Stolen Kisses , Bed and Board and Love on the Run . Jade acted in theatre, film and television...
as a Swiss nun who falls in love with a Japanese engineer on a trip from Marseilles to Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
. His 1986 film The Sea and Poison
The Sea and Poison
is a 1986 Japanese film directed by Kei Kumai and based on a novel by Shusaku Endo.-Cast:* Eiji Okuda as Suguro* Ken Watanabe as Toda* Takahiro Tamura as Professor Hashimoto* Kyôko Kishida as Ohba, Head Nurse* Mikio Narita as Shibata* Shigeru Kôyama as Gondo...
won the Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize
Jury Grand Prix
The Jury Grand Prix is a Silver Bear award given by the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival to one of the feature films in competition...
at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival
37th Berlin International Film Festival
The 37th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 20 February to 3 March 1987.-Jury:* Klaus Maria Brandauer * Juliet Berto* Kathleen Carroll* Callisto Cosulich* Victor Dyomin* Reinhard Hauff* Edmund Luft* Jiří Menzel...
. In 1992, his film Luminous Moss
Luminous Moss (film)
is a 1992 Japanese horror film directed by Kei Kumai. It was entered into the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Rentarô Mikuni as Headmaster / Captain of a ship* Hisashi Igawa as Prosecutor* Satoko Iwasaki* Taketoshi Naitô as Novelist...
was entered into the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival
42nd Berlin International Film Festival
The 42nd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 13 to 24, 1992.-Jury:* Annie Girardot * Charles Champlin* Sylvia Chang* Ildikó Enyedi* Irving N...
.
Other works include Ocean to Cross, Death of a Tea Master starring Toshirō Mifune
Toshiro Mifune
Toshirō Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, from 1948 to 1965, in works such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo...
as Sen no Rikyū
Sen no Rikyu
, is considered the historical figure with the most profound influence on chanoyu, the Japanese "Way of Tea", particularly the tradition of wabi-cha...
(Silver Lion at the 1989 Venice Film Festival) and the 2002 film The Sea Is Watching, based on Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
's last script.
Filmography
- Nihon rettō (1965)
- The Sands of KurobeThe Sands of Kurobeis a 1968 Japanese drama film directed by Kei Kumai. It was Japan's submission to the 41st Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee.-Cast:* Toshirô Mifune as Kitagawa* Yûjirô Ishihara as Iwaoka...
(1968) - Apart from LifeApart from LifeApart from Life is a 1970 Japanese drama film directed by Kei Kumai. It was entered into the 20th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Mizuho Suzuki - Unami* Hiroko Kino - Noriko Fukuji* Mugihito - Nobuo Tsuyama...
(1970) - Shinobu KawaShinobu Kawa-Awards:27th Mainichi Film Award*Won: Best Film-References:...
(1972) - Rise, Fair SunRise, Fair Sunis a 1973 Japanese drama film directed by Kei Kumai. It was entered into the 24th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Tatsuya Nakadai - Sakuzo* Kinya Kitaoji - Asao, Haruko's lover* Keiko Takahashi - Haruko, Sakuzo's daughter...
(1973) - Sandakan No. 8Sandakan No. 8is a 1974 Japanese film directed by Kei Kumai. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.-Plot:A young female journalist is researching an article on the history of Japanese women who were forced to work as prostitutes in Asian brothels during the early 20th century...
(1974) - Cape of North (1976)
- Ocean to Cross
- Nihon no Atsui Hibi Bōsatsu: Shimoyama JikenNihon no Atsui Hibi Bōsatsu: Shimoyama JikenWillful Murder is a 1981 Japanese drama film directed by Kei Kumai. It was entered into the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Yōko Asaji* Kaneko Iwasaki* Tatsuya Nakadai* Ichirō Nakatani* Daisuke Ryū* Kōji Yakusho* Kei Yamamoto...
(1981) - The Sea and PoisonThe Sea and Poisonis a 1986 Japanese film directed by Kei Kumai and based on a novel by Shusaku Endo.-Cast:* Eiji Okuda as Suguro* Ken Watanabe as Toda* Takahiro Tamura as Professor Hashimoto* Kyôko Kishida as Ohba, Head Nurse* Mikio Narita as Shibata* Shigeru Kôyama as Gondo...
(1986) - Death of a Tea Master (1989)
- Luminous MossLuminous Moss (film)is a 1992 Japanese horror film directed by Kei Kumai. It was entered into the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Rentarô Mikuni as Headmaster / Captain of a ship* Hisashi Igawa as Prosecutor* Satoko Iwasaki* Taketoshi Naitô as Novelist...
(1992) - Deep RiverDeep River (film)is a 1995 Japanese film directed by Kei Kumai. It is based on the novel of the same title by Shusaku Endo. The film version was chosen as Japan's official submission to the 68th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, but did not manage to receive a nomination....
(1995) - The Sea Is Watching (2002)