The Japanese Paper Film Project
Schedule
Fri May 29 2026 at 07:30 pm to 09:30 pm
UTC-04:00Location
900 East Ave, Rochester, NY, United States, New York 14607 | Rochester, NY
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In the 1930s, several Japanese companies produced films made on paper (“kami firumu”) instead of celluloid. The Japanese Paper Film Project preserves the surviving movies and promotes scholarship about these films. From 1932 to 1938, two Japanese companies dominated the paper film market. Most well-known are REFCY, based in Tokyo, and Katei Toki (“Home Talkie”), based in Osaka. They produced animated and live action films, often in color. Moreover, many of the films contained synchronized sound tracks on 78 rpm vinyl. Given the short period of production, the varying paper quality, and WWII’s devastation, very few Japanese paper film prints survive. Now, almost ninety years later, the handful of surviving prints are beginning to deteriorate. Thus, this project is racing against time to preserve the films before they disappear entirely.This special presentation, compiled specifically for the Dryden Theatre, will include a talk from Project Supervisor Eric Faden and be accompanied by music from Duo Yumeno, a koto and cello duo, for the silent films in the program.
Free to all!
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Where is it happening?
900 East Ave, Rochester, NY, United States, New York 14607Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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