CJS is home to the longest-running Japanese film series in the world. Our earliest records of the CJS Film Series start in 1975, but locals tell us the center has been showing films as early as the 1960s. Over the years, we have shown over 650 films and hosted great filmmakers like Ryūsuke Hamaguchi, Kazuhiro Sōda, Kijū Yoshida, Kaori Momoi, Masato Harada, and many, many more. Our film series this year features the works of Masato Harada. Harada directed his first film in 1979 and initially worked in both Hollywood and Japan. After working in Hollywood for a number of years, he returned home and devoted himself to Japanese cinema. Harada has directed 30 films since 1979, each based on his own screenplay. Today, he is one of the most reliable and active mainstream studio directors in Japan. Harada has a knack for bringing serious themes into genre filmmaking, as even his most entertaining films are threaded with many political and social issues.
