In New York City this week, Japan Society will kick off a ten-day introspective film series entitled Shinjuku Ecstasy. From February 18 till March 1, the series will feature twelve classic independent films from the Art Theatre Guild of Japan.

Originally conceived in 1961 as a distributor of European art films in Japan, the Art Theater Guild (ATG) began co-producing Japanese independent films in 1967. For the next 30 years, the ATG became a major force in the art-house movement in Japan. ATG filmmakers tackled controversial subjects in Japan, such as homosexuality and capital punishment.

Many ATG filmmakers such as Nagisa Oshima, Yoshishige Yoshida and Shuji Terayama gained international recognition, but the Art Theatre Guild itself is still little known outside of Japan. Curated by Roland Domenig and Go Hirasawa, Shinjuku Ecstasy focuses on the first decade of ATG and on the Shinjuku Bunka, ATG’s flagship theater in Shinjuku, the center of Japan’s vibrant counterculture.

Film Schedule:
Wed, Feb 18
7:30pm Throw Away Your Books, Let’s Go into the Street

Fri, Feb 20
7:30pm Funeral Parade of Roses
Followed by the SHINJUKU PARTY! Free admission if you come dressed in your fabulous retro kimono or vintage 60s style!
Funeral Parade of Roses is considered the inspiration for British filmmaker Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.

Sat, Feb 21
3pm Death by Hanging
5:30pm Silence Has No Wings

Sun, Feb 22
3pm Eros Plus Massacre

Tues, Feb 24
7:30pm The Inferno of First Love

Wed, Feb 25
7:30pm Double Suicide

Fri, Feb 27
7:30pm This Transient Life

Sat, Feb 28
3pm A Man Vanishes
5:45pm Crazy Love

Sun, Mar 1
3pm Pitfall
5:15pm Ecstasy of the Angels

Detailed information and ticket information for each screening can be found on the Japan Society’s website here.

“A Brief History of Independent Cinema in Japan and the Role of the ATG” by curator Roland Domenig is available for downloaded here in PDF form —for free!

Shinjuku Ecstasy: Independent Films from the Art Theatre Guild of Japan is made possible through the generous support of the Globus Family. Additional support is provided by David S. Howe, Joshua S. Levine and Nozomi Terao, and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.