JAPANESE CINEMA is a three-part sequence of classes providing a comprehensive historical survey of Japanese cinema, tracing its evolution from the silent era to the present day. Rather than limiting our focus to celebrated “auteurs,” we will situate films within the broader historical, political, social, economic, and cultural contexts that shaped them. Questions of gender, class, and cultural identity will serve as recurring themes. Across the series, students will engage with both canonical masterpieces and overlooked gems, gaining a fuller understanding of the diversity and complexity of Japanese cinema. This five-week course explores Japanese cinema from the 1980s to today, a period marked by diversification and global recognition. We’ll study the socially driven films of Hirokazu Kore-eda (Nobody Knows, Shoplifters), the poetic works of Naomi Kawase (Suzaku, Still the Water), and the distinctive style of Shinji Somai (Sailor Suit and Machine Gun, Typhoon Club). Anime will feature prominently, focusing on Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away), Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell), and Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Paprika). We’ll also examine how directors like Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, Pulse) and Takashi Miike (Audition, Ichi the Killer) reshaped horror and transgressive cinema. By course end, students will grasp how Japanese cinema has continuously reinvented itself, blending local traditions with global appeal.