Masaki Kobayashi

Master craftsman of post-war Japanese cinema, Masaki Kobayashi was born in 1916 in Hokkaido, Japan. He was active in the film industry from 1952 until his death in 1996, directing films primarily in the genres of drama, horror, and war; his most notable works include "Harakiri" (1962), "Kwaidan" (1964), and "The Human Condition" trilogy (1959-1961), which collectively won him numerous awards including a Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. His authorial style was characterized by his profound humanism, his striking visual compositions, and his unflinching criticism of Japan’s authoritarian societal structures. Masaki Kobayashi, in his relentless pursuit of truth and justice through cinema, left an indomitable mark on the world of film that resonates to this day.