THE OZU DIARIES Documentary

North American Premiere

Screening to be followed by a conversation with AFI Alumnus, director, screenwriter and producer Daniel Raim.

THE OZU DIARIES, from Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Daniel Raim (AFI Class of 1999), offers both an intimate biography and revelatory portrait of prolific Japanese master Yasujiro Ozu, one of cinema’s most original and enduring auteurs. Drawing from a treasure trove of archival materials — journals, notebooks, correspondence, photographs, interviews and unseen home movies — the film opens a rare window into Ozu’s inner world and artistic process. With Ozu’s own words as guide, and enriched by reflections from filmmakers Wim Wenders, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Tsai Ming-liang, Luc Dardenne and others, Raim traces how Ozu’s personal life informed his work, creating cinematic masterpieces such as TOKYO STORY, LATE SPRING and AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON to name a few. His precise, deceptively simple stories and signature visual style became a vehicle for poetic, humanist explorations of family, love and impermanence. Deeply rooted in Japanese culture yet universally resonant, Ozu’s work continues to shape our understanding of cinema’s possibilities. –Mimi Brody