This course is a survey of Japanese cinema from the silent period to the present. Students will learn about different Japanese film genres and histories, including (but not limited to) the benshi tradition, jidaigeki (period films), yakuza films, Pink Film, experimental/arthouse, J-horror, and anime. Although the course will introduce several key Japanese auteurs (Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa, Oshima, Suzuki, etc), it will emphasize lesser known directors and movements in the history of Japanese film, especially in the experimental, arthouse, and documentary productions of the 1960s and 1970s. Finally, in addition to providing background knowledge in the history of Japanese cinema, one of the central goals of the course will be to interrogate the concept of “national” cinema, and to place Japanese film history within a international context.