Two Screenings on Chikamatsu, Bunraku, and Film Preservation
Japan Foundation Awards, which were launched in 1973, the year after the establishment of the Japan Foundation (JF), have been presented to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to promoting international mutual understanding and friendship between Japan and other countries through academic, artistic, and other cultural pursuits.
Mr. Marty Gross – Canadian filmmaker, producer, and director – is one of the two recipients for the 2025 awards, having been selected from among 106 nominated candidates.
This two-part screening event celebrates the work and legacy of Marty Gross, filmmaker, archivist, and longtime advocate for Japanese performing arts and cinema. Anchored by two works connected through CHIKAMATSU Monzaemon (近松 門左衛門) and the tradition of bunraku, the events explore how classical narratives travel across media, from stage to film.
Through screenings, recorded interview, and live talks, the screenings highlight Marty Gross’s contributions to film culture, his collaborations with institutions such as The Criterion Collection, and his ongoing efforts to preserve and contextualize Japanese artistic traditions.
(C) photo by Grant Delin
Marty Gross is a celebrated Canadian filmmaker, film archivist, and consulting producer renowned for his passionate commitment to bringing Japanese culture to audiences worldwide.
Born in Toronto in 1948, he attended York University in Oriental Studies and Fine Art before journeying to Japan in 1970 to train as a potter. Gross launched his filmmaking career with AS WE ARE, a short film made in his teaching studio about his work with children with special needs. His second film, Potters at Work (1976), a short, in-depth film about potters in Koishiwara, Fukuoka Prefecture, and Onta, Oita Prefecture. Gross went on to direct The Lovers’ Exile (1980), which was skillfully adapted into a 90-minute feature film with dynamic camerawork that captures the drama of the puppets and the mastery of the puppeteers, accompanied by powerful traditional gidayu music. With English subtitles by Donald Richie, the result is a captivating production that played a pivotal role in introducing the world to the art of Bunraku.
Throughout the years, Gross has forged strong ties with the Japanese film industry, serving as a consulting producer for the renowned US distributor The Criterion Collection. In this role, he played a key part in the release and distribution of countless classic Japanese films and conducted in-depth interviews with key industry figures, obtaining numerous testimonies of the value of Japanese cinema throughout history.
One of Gross’s most remarkable achievements is the restoration of old films. Through his Mingei Film Archive Project, he has unearthed and meticulously restored rare 16 mm footage captured in the 1930s by the legendary British potter Bernard Leach—a captivating visual testament to the influential Mingei (Folk Craft) Movement. Driven by a deep passion for this cultural movement, Gross has traveled to Japan, South Korea, the UK, and the US to gather footage, gradually compiling a vast archive. This collection has rekindled the belief, held by the Mingei Movement, that beauty can be found in everyday handcrafted objects, breathing new life into the movement’s timeless spirit for today’s audiences.
Through his lifelong dedication to sharing Japan’s traditional performing arts and folk crafts on film, Marty Gross has contributed meaningfully to international mutual understanding. His remarkable contributions make him a deserving recipient of the Japan Foundation Award.
Screenings:
A Story from Chikamatsu
Tuesday, Feb 10, 6:00 PM (ET)
Film Screening + Talk | In-person at JFT Event Hall | Free admission, registration required
One of a string of late-career masterworks made by MIZOGUCHI Kenji in the first half of the 1950s, A Story from Chikamatsu (a.k.a. The Crucified Lovers) is an exquisitely moving tale of forbidden love struggling to survive in the face of persecution. Adapted from CHIKAMATSU Monzaemon’s 1715 bunraku play, the film traces the injustices that befall a Kyoto scroll maker’s wife and his apprentice after each is unfairly accused of wrongdoing. Bound by fate in an illicit, star-crossed romance, they go on the run in search of refuge from the punishment prescribed them: death. Shot in gorgeous, painterly style by master cinematographer MIYAGAWA Kazuo, this delicately delivered indictment of societal oppression was heralded by KUROSAWA Akira as a “great masterpiece that could only have been made by Mizoguchi.”
©Janus Films
After the film, we will screen a 10-minute interview with the lead actress KAGAWA Kyoko, directed by Marty Gross, who will join us for a talk & Q&A.
The Lovers’ Exile
Saturday, Feb 21, 6:30 PM (ET)
Film Screening + Talk | In-person at JFT Event Hall | Free admission, registration required
Bunraku combines the arts of puppetry, joruri dramatic recitation, and musical accompaniment of the samisen. Each puppet is manipulated by three handlers; the resulting ensemble effort of puppeteers and musicians creates not only a sense of heightened realism, but also a dreamlike delicacy and complexity of movement. In 2003, UNESCO proclaimed Bunraku a “masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.”
The Lover’s Exile is an adaptation of MEIDO NO HIKYAKU by classic Japanese dramatist CHIKAMATSU Monzaemon (1673-1724). The story, one of Chikamatsu’s domestic tragedies, recounts the love between a penniless clerk and an indentured prostitute.
The Lover’s Exile is performed entirely by the Bunraku Ensemble of Osaka, widely considered the most sophisticated puppet theatre in the world. The Bunraku Theatre Ensemble, and numerous of its players have been declared Living National Treasures of Japan. The Lover’s Exile is the only filmed adaptation of a classic Bunraku performance.
©Marty Gross Film Productions Inc.
After the film, Marty Gross will join us for a talk and Q&A!
