was a Japanese

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

filmmaker and fine artist. He is considered one of the pioneers of

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

and

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

filmmaking in Japan. Iimura was born in Tokyo and was a graduate of

Keio University , mottoeng = The pen is mightier than the sword , type = Private research coeducational higher education institution , established = 1858 , founder = Yukichi Fukuzawa , endowmen ...

. His film ''Onan'' (1963) won the Special Prize at the

Brussels International Independent Film Festival The Brussels Independent Film Festival, previously known as the Brussels International Independent Film Festival, or le Festival International du Film Indépendant de Bruxelles, has taken place since 1974. It originally focused on Super 8 films ...

in 1964. He published a seminal work on experimental filmmaking in 1970, ''Geijutsu to higeijutsu no aida'', and a biography of

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

, ''Ono Yōko hito to sakuhin'', in 1985. Iimura made much of his film in New York City, but became a professor at the Nagoya Zokei University of Art & Design in 1992.

Filmography

1960s

*"Film Poems," (1962–1970, 16mm) *"Iro" (Colors), (1962, 16mm (from 8mm), Music: Yasunao Tone, 8 min.) *Onan (1963, 16mm, B/W, 7min., Music: Yasunao Tone; Winner, Special Prize, Brussels International Film Festival) *"Taka and Ako," (1966, 16mm (from 8mm), black and white, silent, 16fps, 15 min.) *"White Calligraphy," (1967, 16mm, black and white, silent, 11 min.) *"Filmmakers," (1968, 28 min.)

1970s

*"Kiri" (Fog), (1970, 16mm (from 8mm), black and white, silent, 16fps, 7 min.) *"Film Strips I," (1970, 16mm, black and white, silent, 11.5 min.) *"The Pacific Ocean" (1971, 16mm, colour, silent, 11 min.) *"Self Identity" (1972, 1 min.) *"Double Portrait" (1973–1987, 5 min.) *"I Love You" (1973–1987, 4.5 min.) *"Double Identity" (1979, 1.5 min.)

1980s

*"I Am A Viewer, You Are A Viewer" (1981, 4 min.) *"This Is A Camera Which Shoots This" (1982–1995, 5 min.) *"Air’s Rock" (portmanteau, DVD, including Moments at the Rock, (1984, color, sound, 12 min.) and A Rock in the Light (1985/2008, 18 min. Music: Haruyuki Suzuki, 2008)) *New York Hotsprings (1984, DVD, b/w, 10 min. Part of Experiments in New York) *"TV Confrontation" (1986, DVD, color, stereo, 5 min. with Tetsuya fukui, "Video=Aleph") *New York Day and Night (1989, DVD, color, Music: Takehisa Kosugi, 58 min.)

1990s

*"As I See You You See Me" (1990–1995, 7 min.) *PERFORMANCE/MYSELF (Or Video Identity) (portmanteau, 1972–1995, DVD, 7 pieces, total 29 min.)

References

External links

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Speaking Engagement
1937 births 2022 deaths Japanese film directors Japanese experimental filmmakers Japanese video artists American experimental filmmakers American video artists Artists from Tokyo Keio University alumni {{Japan-film-director-stub