[KineJapan] Iimura Takahiko, May He Rest in Peace

[Markus Nornes]

I just learned that experimental filmmaker Iimura Takahiko passed away on
July 31 at the age of 85. The cause was an inflammation of the lungs.

Iimura was one of the key figures in experimental film, and in a
global sense. He graduated from Keio and began his film career in PR film.
But rather than turn to documentary and fiction like so many of his
colleagues in that area, Iimura committed his life to the poetry of film. I
love his 60s films in particular, and wrote about *White Calligraphy* in my
recent book. I have often shown Ai/Love in my Japanese cinema course.
https://youtu.be/b_SZejNKeeI

He started splitting his time between New York and Japan starting in the
mid-1960s, which gave him a great platform for introducing Japanese
experimental films to the world and vice-versa. Iimura brought intermedial
happening strategies to film screenings, and was quick to shift to video
art, pioneering yet another field.

Iimura-san created lots of DVDs, books, and gave lots of interviews over
the years, a great contribution to the writing of this history (which is
often so ephemeral).  I enjoyed bringing him to Ann Arbor for an Ann Arbor
Film Festival screening, and drinking good Michigan beer while telling
stories about White Calligraphy and the many ways he screened it over the
years. He was one of those people I'd bump into at receptions and parties
all over Tokyo, and was always fun to chat with.

I've been writing about Film Independent—which he helped lead—and so I
tried contacting him this spring to try and meet up, but never heard back.
When I got to Japan, I heard he wasn't doing well, so this isn't a
shock—but it's always a shock.

Iimura's work is easy to rent or purchase from Filmmakers Cooperative. This
page gives a wonderful flavor for his artistic practice.
https://film-makerscoop.com/search?q=iimura

Markus

---

*Markus Nornes*
*Professor of Asian Cinema*
*Interim Chair, Dept. of Asian Languages and Culture*

Department of Film, Television and Media, Department of Asian Languages and
Cultures, Penny Stamps School of Art & Design




*Homepage: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~nornes/
<http://www-personal.umich.edu/~nornes/>*
*Department of Film, Television and Media*
*6348 North Quad*
*105 S. State Street**Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.yale.edu/pipermail/kinejapan/attachments/20220807/58872156/attachment.html>