6/1/2006

One of the most celebrated japanese director in recent years, Imamura Shohei has died on May 30th. He ’s mostly known for two movies in the west, The Ballad of Narayama and The Eel (Unagi), both having won him the Palme d’Or at the Cannes festival in 83 & 97. Imamura was one of the most prominent member of what was called the japanese new wave along with Nagisa Oshima and Masahiro Shinoda.
My personal favourite of his was Doctor Akagi (Kanzo Sensei).
There’s an obituary on the New-York Times, it barely made the news in Japan.