The Naked Island
Remote and mysterious, whether hostile or enticing, infernal microcosms or dreamed worlds, islands have long captivated the imaginations of filmmakers. By their very isolated nature, they often serve as metaphoric or literal settings of loss and introspection, inviting exploration and oblivion. Enclosed by water, they provide ideal backdrops for intimate dramas and intense adventures, their geography shaping the narrative. As many real-world islands face existential threats, we invite you to explore a few fictional isles where cinema has found its enchanting refuge along the shore.
Winner of the Grand Prix, 1961 Moscow International Film Festival
In a style as spare as it is innovative, without dialogue, The Naked Island is a gripping journey into the daily life of a family forced to live in total poverty on a small island in a Japanese archipelago, and which must travel an exhausting distance to the mainland to fetch the water they need to grow their crops and survive.
Kaneto Shindō
Kaneto Shindō was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film producer, and writer, who directed 48 films and wrote scripts for 238. His best known films as a director include Children of Hiroshima (1952), The Naked Island (1960), Onibaba (1964), Kuroneko (1968) and A Last Note (1995). His screenplays were filmed by directors such as Kenji Mizoguchi, Kōzaburō Yoshimura, Kon Ichikawa, Keisuke Kinoshita, Seijun Suzuki, and Tadashi Imai. His films of the first decade were often in a social realist vein, repeatedly depicting the fate of women. Since the seventies, portraits of artists became one of his speciality. Many of his films were autobiographical, beginning with his 1951 directorial debut, Story of a Beloved Wife. Being born in Hiroshima Prefecture, he also made several films about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the effect of nuclear weapons. Shindō was one of the pioneers of independent film production in Japan, co-founding his own film company Kindai Eiga Kyōkai with director Yoshimura and actor Taiji Tonoyama in 1950. He continued working as a screenwriter, director, and author until close to his death at the age of 100.
