Experimental film goes by many names in Japanese. Each of the existing terms—zen’ei eiga (avant-garde film), undåguraundo eiga (underground film), jikken eiga (experiment film), and others—points to a different phase in the exploration of the possibilities of film.

The highly deliberate use of experimental film as a utopian project and as a weapon for radical political struggle in Japan has deep connections to the student movement. The initial fermenting ground of the Nihon University Cinema Club in the late 1950s created a wildfire that spread quickly. While festivals of European and North American experimental film in Tokyo’s legendary Sogetsu Hall in 1966 left a strong impact, by this time an immensely sophisticated and well-networked coalition of artists had already created an intricate ecosystem of radical experimental arts and their theorization. The late 1960s saw artists that were internationally connected and plugged into movements such as Fluxus, yet also always aware of the local contexts in Japan they needed to address. This tension produced complex works full of energy, beauty, and a spirit of resistance. Despite their enormous influence at the time, the films have only recently been restored for audiences today to see. Researcher and curator Go Hirasawa has been at the forefront of efforts to recover this history and presents several seminal works in this program. – Alexander Zahlten, Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard

The screening takes place in conjunction with a free workshop at the HFA on the preservation and circulation of noncorporate film on Saturday, March 4 from 9:30am to 1pm, and with HFA’s Hachimiri Madness! program April 21 – May 22.