The Women’s History Month/Cinema East series co-presented by CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival continues this Wednesday, March 15 at 6 p.m. at the Pickford Film Center with the screening of another film by Japanese director Tanaka Kinuyo.
“Girls of the Night,” reunited Tanaka with screenwriter Tanaka Sumie to explore the reformation of prostitutes. The film follows Kuniko (Hara Hisako), an escort who enters a rehabilitation center after the Prostitution Prevention Law prohibits her line of work. But creating a new life proves treacherous—wherever Kuniko goes, the past seems to catch up with her. In once again taking on a challenging subject matter, Tanaka paints an empathetic portrait of a fragile community of untamed outcasts. See the trailer here.
The film will be introduced by Julia Sapin, professor of Art History in the Department of Art and Art History at Western Washington University whose research focuses on the visual culture of the Meiji period (1868-1912) in Japan with a special emphasis on the representation of national, regional, and gender identities in textiles, painting, and department-store advertising.
Tanaka (1909-1977) is one of Japan’s most treasured film stars. She was also Japan’s second female director. From 1953 to 1962, Tanaka directed six films. Tanaka’s directorial works were restored relatively recently by Janus Films and have been circulating globally as a celebration of her remarkable place in film history.