Yasujiro Ozu

Yasujiro Ozu (小津 安二郎, Ozu Yasujirō, 12 December 1903 – 12 December 1963) was a respected filmmaker from Japan who began his career in the era of silent films. Ozu's excellence extended into the early 1960s as he successfully transitioned into color films. He initially made several short comedies before focusing on more serious themes in the 1930s. The recurrent themes in Ozu's work include family, marriage, and generational relationships. His most admired films include Late Spring (1949), Tokyo Story (1953) and An Autumn Afternoon (1962). These films have earned him recognition as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the world, with Ozu's Tokyo Story being voted as the greatest film of all time by the Sight & Sound poll respondents comprised of global directors and filmmakers.

Yasujiro Ozu was born in the Fukagawa district of Tokyo, and he came from the Ozu Yoemon merchant family from Ise. Ozu had five siblings and was the second son of merchant Toranosuke Ozu and his wife Asae. As a child, he developed a love for films and decided to become a film director after watching the film Civilization in 1917. Ozu started his film career with the Shochiku Film Company, and his first film was Sword of Penitence in 1927. Known for his unique and innovative style, Ozu's films are recognized for their static transition scenes, unique camera position - later called the 'tatami shot', and his use of ellipses in the narrative structure. His contribution to cinema has received international recognition and has been greatly influential.