was a Japanese film director from

Azumino is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 97,761 in 39744 households. and a population density of 290 persons per km2. Its total area is . Etymology of Azumino Azumino is a combination of two ...

, Nagano prefecture. After his studies in literature at Shinshu University, he began work as a director's assistant. He won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award for his first film, '' Nihon rettō'', in 1965. His 1972 film '' Shinobu Kawa'' was entered into the

8th Moscow International Film Festival The 8th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 10 to 23 July 1973. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Soviet film '' That Sweet Word: Liberty!'' directed by Vytautas Žalakevičius and the Bulgarian film ''Affection'' directed by L ...

. His 1973 film '' Rise, Fair Sun'' was entered into the

24th Berlin International Film Festival The 24th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 21 June – 2 July 1974. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Canadian film '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' directed by Ted Kotcheff. Jury The following people were announc ...

. ''

Sandakan No. 8 is a 1974 Japanese drama film directed by Kei Kumai, starring Yoko Takahashi, Komaki Kurihara and Kinuyo Tanaka. It was nominated for the 1975 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It also became one of the highest-grossing Japanese fil ...

'' received widespread acclaim for tackling the issue of a woman forced into prostitution in Borneo before the outbreak of World War II. Kinuyo Tanaka won the Best Actress Award at the

25th Berlin International Film Festival The 25th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 27 June – 8 July 1975. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Hungarian film ''Adoption'' directed by Márta Mészáros. The retrospective dedicated to Greta Garbo was shown at the ...

for her performance. The film was nominated for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the

48th Academy Awards The 48th Academy Awards were presented Monday, March 29, 1976, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. The ceremonies were presided over by Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, George Segal, Goldie Hawn, and Gene Kelly. This yea ...

. Kumai's follow-up film was 1976's '' Cape of North'', starring French actress Claude Jade as a Swiss nun who falls in love with a Japanese engineer on a trip from Marseilles to

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

. His 1986 film ''

The Sea and Poison ''The Sea and Poison'' () is a 1957 Japanese short novel written by Shūsaku Endō. Plot The story is set in Fukuoka hospital during the late stages of World War II, when Japan is demoralized by constant air raids. The intern Dr. Suguro partici ...

'' won the Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival. In 1992, his film '' Luminous Moss'' was entered into the

42nd Berlin International Film Festival The 42nd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 February 1992. The festival opened with '' The Inner Circle'' by Andrei Konchalovsky. The Golden Bear was awarded to American film ''Grand Canyon'' directed by Lawrence Ka ...

. Other works include ''

Death of a Tea Master ''Death of a Tea Master'' ( ja, 千利休本覺坊遺文, ''Sen no Rikyu: Honkakubô ibun'' also known as ''Sen no Rikyū: Honkakubo's Student Writings'') is a 1989 Japanese biographical drama film directed by Kei Kumai. It is based on real life ...

'' starring Toshirō Mifune as Sen no Rikyū (Silver Lion at the

46th Venice International Film Festival The 46th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 4 to 15 September 1989. Jury The following people comprised the 1989 jury: * Andrei Smirnov: Head of Jury *Néstor Almendros * Pupi Avati * Klaus Maria Brandauer *Danièle Heymann ...

), and the 2002 film ''

The Sea Is Watching is a 2002 Japanese romance film directed by Kei Kumai, based on a screenplay by Akira Kurosawa. Cast * Misa Shimizu – Kikuno * Nagiko Tōno – Oshin * Masatoshi Nagase – Ryosuke * Hidetaka Yoshioka – Fusanosuke * Miho Tsumiki – Okichi ...

'', based on

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

's posthumous script.

Filmography

* ''

Mutekiga Ore o Yondeiru also known as ''The Call of the Foghorn'' is a 1960 Japanese film directed by Yamazaki Tokujirō. It was the final film of young star Akagi Keiichiro before his death, and considered his most famous work. Plot Sugi is a navigator of the ship Suz ...

'' (1960) (Screenplay) * (1965) * ''

The Sands of Kurobe is a 1968 Japanese drama film directed by Kei Kumai. It was Japan's submission to the 41st Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee. Produced by its stars Toshiro Mifune and Yujiro ...

'' (1968) * ''

Apart from Life ''Apart from Life'' ( ja, 地の群れ, translit. Chi no mure) is a 1970 Japanese drama film directed by Kei Kumai. It was entered into the 20th Berlin International Film Festival. Cast * Mizuho Suzuki as Unami * Hiroko Kino as Noriko ...

'' (1970) * '' Shinobu Kawa'' (1972) * '' Rise, Fair Sun'' (1973) * ''

'' (1974) * '' Cape of North'' (1976) * ''Ocean to Cross'' * '' Ogin-sama'' (1978) * ''

Tempyō no Iraka is a 1980 Japanese historical drama film directed by Kei Kumai, based on Yasushi Inoue's novel of the same name. The film follows a Japanese mission to Tang China during the Heian period. Cast * Katsuo Nakamura as Fushō * Masaaki Daimon as Yō ...

'' (1980) * '' Nihon no Atsui Hibi Bōsatsu: Shimoyama Jiken'' (1981) * ''

'' (1986) * ''

'' (1989) * '' Luminous Moss'' (1992) * '' Deep River'' (1995) * ''To Love'' (1997) * ''

'' (2002)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kumai Kei 1930 births 2007 deaths Japanese film directors Place of birth missing Place of death missing