Inspired by Greek-Japanese author Lafcadio Hearn’s collections of Japanese folktales and ghost stories, most notably Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things (1904), celebrated filmmaker Masaki Kobayashi’s anthology horror masterpiece plays out in four parts, each portraying age-old national tales of yuki-onna, ghost samurai, and other supernatural legends. Though it first premiered theatrically in its native Japan, Kwaidan later screened in official competition at the 18th Cannes Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize. A shorter version of the film received distribution stateside, where it was Japan’s nominee for Foreign Language Film at the 38th Academy Awards. 

DIRECTOR: Masaki Kobayashi. WRITTEN BY: Yôko Mizuki. CAST: Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Rentarô Mikuni, Kenjirô Ishiyama. 1965. 161 min. Japan. Color. Scope. Japanese with English subtitles. 35mm. Print courtesy Janus Films.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 

Make It Dinner and a Movie

Fanny's Restaurant & Café

All guests who present a ticket for a film screening, Tuesday through Saturday (and the first Sunday of every month), receive 10% off all food and non-alcoholic beverages at Fanny's. Discount only applicable on the same day as the screening and cannot be redeemed for another screening or date. Dinner reservations can be made on OpenTable or Resy.