The Guide to Japanese Film Industry & Co -Production - UNIJAPAN

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Postwar Japanese Film Industry and Development
Number of audience
¡1957 1.0989 billion people
¡1958 1.1275 billion people
¡1959 1.0881 billion people
¡1960 1.0144 billion people
Number of cinemas
¡1958 7,067 facilities
¡1959 7,400 facilities
¡1960 7,457 facilities
¡1961 7,231 facilities
From 1957 to 1960, the annual number of audience in Japan exceeded 1
billion people. It was still at a time when the Japanese population was less
than 100 million people, indicating that a person went to the cinemas more
than ten times a year. Furthermore, between 1958 and 1961, the number
of cinemas exceeded 7,000 facilities. There were two or three cinemas even
in a small town.
4. From 1960s Onwards — Japanese Film Industry in decline
With the Tokyo Olympic coming up in 1964, TV was rapidly making
its way to Japanese households. In contrast to the rise of TV, the film
industry was starting to mark a decline. The number of audience which
exceeded 1 billion people in 1960 plunged to 254.8 million people in 1970,
approximately 25% of that in 1960. Furthermore, there were 7,231 cinemas
in 1961, but the number dropped to 3,246 facilities in 1970. This downward
trend continued up until the mid-1990s. As for the number of cinemas,
1993 marked the worst in history at 1,734 facilities. Ironically, 1993 was
also the year the first multiplex in Japan, Warner Mycal Ebina was opened.
As for the number of audience, 1996 marked the worst in history at 119.6
million people.
5. Boom of Artistic Films and Mini-Theaters (Independent Art House Cinemas)
1) Establishment of Art Theater Guild (ATG)
The establishment of the Art Theater Guild, also known as ATG, in
November 1961 played a major role for Japanese artistic films. Proposed by
Ms. Kawakita Kashiko of Towa Eiga, supported by Mr. Mori Iwao of Toho
and with capital investment amounting to more than half of the total by
Toho, ATG was established to screen highly artistic and low profit films that
are usually cold-shouldered by commercial cinemas.
The first film ATG screened on April 20, 1962 was the Polish film
Mother Joanna of the Angels directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz which ranked
6th place in Kinema Junpo Top Ten (imported films). The following list
consists some of the films by ATG. They were screened at Nichigeki Bunka
which used to be in the underground floor of Nichigeki Theater and
Shinjuku Bunka in Shinjuku.
Imported Films:
Wild Strawberries (Smuktron-Stallet)
st [
1962 Ingmar Bergman 1
The Seventh Seal (Det Sjunde Inseglet)
th [
1963 Ingmar Bergman 6
Shoot the Piano Player (Tirez sur le pianiste)
th [
1963 Francois Truffaut 9
The Long Absence (Une aussi longue absence)
st [
1964 Henri Colpi 1
Last Year at Marienbad (L’Anné dernière á Marienbad)
rd [
1964 Alain Resnais 3
[ rank for Kinema Junpo Top Ten (imported films)
Works screened by ATG continued to rank in the Kinema Junpo Top Ten.
ATG also played a key role for Japanese films as well.
A Man Vanishes (Ningen johatsu) 1967 Imamura Shohei nd [ 2
Manual of Ninja Martial Arts (Ninja bugei-cho)
1967 Oshima Nagisa
The Human Bullet: Human Guinea Pigs (Nikudan)
th [ 10
nd [
1968 Okamoto Kihachi 2
Death by Hanging (Koshikei) 1968 Oshima Nagisa rd [ 3
Nanami: The Inferno of First Love (Hatsukoi: Jigoku-hen)
1968 Hani Susumu
Double Suicide (Shinju ten no Amijima)
th [ 6
st [
1969 Shinoda Masahiro 1
Boy (Shonen) 1969 Oshima Nagisa rd [ 3
[ rank for Kinema Junpo Top Ten (Japanese films)
2) Age of Mini-Theaters
In 1978, Conversation Piece (Gruppo di Famiglia in un Interno) (directed
by: Luchino Visconti, distributed by: Toho-Towa = Shibata Organization)
was screened at Iwanami Hall, and recorded a long-running hit. The
following year, in 1979, The Travelling Players (O Thiassos) (directed
by: Theo Angelopoulos, distributed by: Shibata Organization) was also
screened at Iwanami Hall and again marked a long-running hit. These two
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