[KineJapan] Book talk "Scripts in Motion: Rewriting the History of Classical Japanese Cinema" at Waseda, Thursday, April 16 at 6:30

[Alexander Jacoby]

Dear all,

I reviewed Lauri's book recently for Japan Forum. I think it's a genuinely
original approach to Japanese cinema, and I am convinced colleagues will be
glad to have made time to attend his talk tomorrow if they can!

As ever,


ALEX



On Mon, 13 Apr 2026 at 04:13, Lauri Kitsnik via KineJapan <
kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:

> Dear KineJapaners, especially those in the Greater Tokyo area, I am
> pleased to share information about a talk event at Waseda later this week,
> where I will be presenting my latest book, Tangible Images: Reading and
> Writing Classical Japanese
> 
> Dear KineJapaners, especially those in the Greater Tokyo area,
>
> I am pleased to share information about a talk event at Waseda later this
> week, where I will be presenting my latest book, Tangible Images: Reading
> and Writing Classical Japanese Cinema. You are warmly invited to join,
> either in person or via Zoom.
>
> All the best,
> Lauri
>
>
> ========================
> This seminar is designed for Faculty and Staff members (including RA) of
> FIRE.
>
> Everyone is welcome to participate.
> Please see the following information about the seminar.
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> https://list-waseda-jp.zoom.us/meeting/register/PY4mZNfJR42mpAkcoMk-Gg
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://list-waseda-jp.zoom.us/meeting/register/PY4mZNfJR42mpAkcoMk-Gg__;!!FapE6t-4AhA!KInN_HCR1F2adFqUI720W50FCLK9wmZNsI3KGUguTRfeSfro3nrYIoR2tCVm2veDjMREj096iOO9Rcm1fLQ0O_y_UnaQ-uq3KC7IHA$>
> Meeting ID: 950 6448 3632
> Passcode: 412721
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ・Lecturer：  Assistant Professor Lauri Kitsnik, Ca' Foscari University of
> Venice
>
> ・Lecturer Info:
>
> Lauri Kitsnik (PhD Cantab) is assistant professor at the Department of
> Asian and North African Studies, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. His main
> research interests lie at the intersection of Japanese literary and
> audio-visual cultures. He has published on adaptation, documentary film,
> music and performance spaces, screenwriting and stardom. His writing has
> appeared in Asian Cinema, Film Studies, Japan Review, Japanese Studies,
> Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema, Journal of Screenwriting, Screen,
> and several edited volumes. His first monograph, Tangible Images: Reading
> and Writing Classical Japanese Cinema was published by Venice University
> Press in 2024.
>
> ・Title:  Scripts in Motion: Rewriting the History of Classical Japanese
> Cinema
>
> ・Day and Time:  April 16, 2026 6:30pm-
>
> ・Venue:  MAIN Conference room 4th floor Bldg.11, Waseda Campus of Waseda
> University (ZOOM Available)
> Visiting Information – School of International Liberal Studies, Waseda
> University
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.waseda.jp/fire/sils/en/access/__;!!FapE6t-4AhA!KInN_HCR1F2adFqUI720W50FCLK9wmZNsI3KGUguTRfeSfro3nrYIoR2tCVm2veDjMREj096iOO9Rcm1fLQ0O_y_UnaQ-urTFeCrHw$>
>
> ・Abstract:
>
> Japanese cinema has long been framed through the familiar triad of
> directors, actors, and genres: a lens that has shaped both scholarly
> discourse and popular understanding of the nation’s film history. Yet this
> focus has obscured the crucial creative labour of scriptwriters, whose
> contributions were foundational to the studio system and to the imaginative
> horizons of audiences. This talk foregrounds their often‑overlooked role
> during the peak decades of studio filmmaking, from the 1930s through the
> 1960s, showing how writers not only structured the filmmaking process but
> also influenced the ways viewers conceptualised cinematic worlds. Central
> to this re‑evaluation is the emergence of a specialised readership capable
> of engaging with film scenarios as texts in their own right, made possible
> by the widespread serialisation and publication of scripts that circulated
> far beyond studio walls.
> Drawing on key insights from my recent book, Tangible Images: Reading and
> Writing Classical Japanese Cinema (Venice UP, 2024), the talk explores how
> scriptwriting shaped the cultural and industrial life of Japanese cinema.
> It revisits the ambitions of the Scenario Literature Movement, whose
> advocates sought to elevate film scripts to the status of autonomous
> literary works. Their efforts illuminate the porous boundaries between
> cinema and literature in modern Japan, while underscoring the archival
> value of scripts as indispensable records for film preservation and
> historical reconstruction.
> Finally, the talk turns to the social and spatial dimensions of
> scriptwriting, examining how writers navigated the collaborative—and often
> hierarchical—environments of the studio system. It considers the gendered
> dynamics of the profession, the communal spaces in which scripts were
> drafted and debated, and the practice of script scouting, which enabled
> many writers to assert creative agency through on‑site research. These
> practices reveal scriptwriters as mobile, observant figures whose work was
> deeply embedded in the textures of everyday life.
> By repositioning scriptwriters at the centre of Japanese film history,
> this talk offers a renewed perspective on the collaborative foundations of
> the industry and on the diverse modes of audience engagement made possible
> through cinema’s textual forms.
> ========================
>
> _______________________________________________
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> KineJapan at mailman.yale.edu
>
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