Press release

kurosawa Film Festival in islamabad

Islamabad: 9th November 2012

To pay tribute to the legendary Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa and mark the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Japan and Pakistan, Kurosawa film festival was inaugurated today at the National Art Gallery of the Pakistan National Council of the Arts. The Embassy of Japan organized this exclusive film festival in collaboration with The Japan Foundation and Pakistan National Council of the Arts, in which, seven films of Akira Kurosawa are scheduled to be screened from 9th to 14th November 2012. Mr. Toshikazu Isomura, Counselor, Public Affairs Section, Embassy of Japan, inaugurated the festival by screening a film, “The Hidden Fortress”.

Akira Kurosawa (March 23, 1910- September 6, 1998) was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 films in a career spanning 57 years.

Kurosawa entered the Japanese film industry in 1936, following a brief stint as a painter. After years of working on numerous films as an assistant director and scriptwriter, he made his debut as a director in 1943, during World War II with the popular action film Sanshiro Sugata. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, Kurosawa directed approximately a film a year, including a number of highly regarded films such as Ikiru (1952), Seven Samurai (1954) and Yojimbo (1961).

This festival is open to the public from 11-14 November 2012 at the National Art Gallery Auditorium (PNCA), Islamabad.

Screening Schedule of Kurosawa Film Festival:

National Art Gallery Auditorium, Islamabad

Date Time Film
9th November 3:00 p.m. “The Hidden Fortress” (139 min)
11th November 10:30 a.m. “Seven Samurai” (207 min)
12th November 10:30 a.m. “Yojimbo” (110 min)
12th November 3:00 p.m. “Red Beard” (184 min)
13th November 10:30 a.m. “Sanshiro Sugata” (91 min)
13th November 3:00 p.m. “Sanjuro” (96 min)
14th November 3:00 p.m. “One Wonderful Sunday” (108 min)

(End)