About the Director

Akira Kurosawa's closest colleagues addressed him as "sensei," a respectful and affectionate term meaning "teacher" or "master." Kurosawa was born in Tokyo on March 23, 1910, the youngest of seven children. His father, a teacher and retired military man, was descended from a noted samurai clan. After a classical education, Kurosawa studied painting at the Proletarian Art Research Institute and became fascinated with film and literature, particularly Russian novels of the 19th century. Despite gaining acceptance into several important group painting shows, Kurosawa found that financial security as a painter was a near-impossibility. In 1936 he answered an ad which led to work as an assistant director under Kajiro Yamamoto at Toho Studio; "Yamamoto" provided a rigorous but exceptionally creative apprenticeship during which Kurosawa honed his craft and learned screenwriting. Kurosawa remained at Toho for 24 years.

In 1943, Kurosawa directed his first film, "Sanshiro Sugata," a judo saga whose success prompted the making of a sequel. It was the phenomenal and unexpected international acclaim for "Roshomon," however, which propelled Kurosawa to worldwide fame and introduced Western audiences to a sophisticated Japanese film industry. The film won the 1951 Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and has virtually contributed a new phrase - "Roshomon situation" - to the English language.

In 1975 Kurosawa accepted an offer from the Soviet Union to film a project of his choice on Soviet soil; "Dersu Uzala," shot in Siberia over two years of extreme conditions of heat and cold, was the triumphant result, winning the 1975 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

In 1993, Kurosawa completed his most personal film, "Madadayo," marking 50 years of directing movies. The film pays tribute to Hyakken Uchida, a beloved professor who abandons his university position to dedicate his life to writing. "Madadayo" turned out to be Kurosawa's last film. On September 6, 1998, the "Sensei of Cinema," passed away.