Japanese cinema is typically viewed as a masculine domain. Until the 1980s, the studio systemâs structure presented a formidable barrier for women hoping to enter the industry in a creative capacity. Barring Japanâs first woman director, Sakane Tazuko, who made a single feature in 1936, the long-lost
Hatsu sugata, the few who chalked up a directing credit generally hailed from an acting background.
Only in the past decade have Japanese women filmmakers made real headway. Their swelling ranks and the acclaim, both domestic and international, for such names as Nishikawa Miwa (Dear Doctor, 2009;
Dreams for Sale, 2012), Tanada Yuki (
Moon & Cherry, 2004;