Documentaries | Out Of Competition
USA, 2025, 137’, Japanese, English, French, Mandarin
Directed by: Daniel Raim
Screenplay: Daniel Raim
Cinematographer: Koichi Furuya
Producers: Yuki Machida, Daniel Raim
Executive Producers: Matthew Bernstein, Natalie Bernstein, Fujii Hiromi, Charlie Tabesh, Eric Nyari
Cast: Ozu Yasujiro, Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Wim Wenders, Luc Dardenne, Tsai Ming-liang, Kagawa Kyoko
Date of First Release in Territory: n/a
From timeless masterpieces such as
Tokyo Story,
Late Spring,
Early Summer, and
An Autumn Afternoon, Ozu Yasujiro stands as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Renowned for his contemplative style and profound observations of family, loss, and the passage of time, Ozu’s quiet visual language has shaped generations of filmmakers and continues to resonate across cultures and eras.
The Ozu Diaries, directed by Academy Award–nominated filmmaker Daniel Raim, is an intimate cinematic journey into the inner life and artistic philosophy of the legendary Japanese director. Drawing from Ozu’s private diaries, wartime notebooks, letters, interviews, photographs, and rarely seen home movies, the film allows Ozu’s own words to guide viewers through the experiences that informed his singular artistic vision.
Interwoven with reflections from filmmakers and collaborators including Kagawa Kyoko, Wim Wenders, Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Tsai Ming-liang, and Luc Dardenne, the documentary explores how Ozu transformed personal loss, wartime trauma, and the quiet rhythms of everyday life into enduring works that continue to influence world cinema.
Produced in collaboration with Shochiku and Turner Classic Movies,
The Ozu Diaries premiered at the 2025 Venice Film Festival and has since screened at MoMA, the Tokyo International Film Festival, and festivals worldwide. The film represents a seven-year journey by Raim to uncover the life and legacy of one of Japan’s most revered filmmakers.
Raim is widely recognized for his body of work chronicling cinema history and the artists who shaped it. Across numerous documentaries, he has explored the lives and craft of seminal filmmakers and artisans whose work transformed the art and business of filmmaking. His films on figures such as Buster Keaton, among others, reflect a deep cinephile’s devotion to preserving film heritage while illuminating the creative forces that continue to define global cinema.
With
The Ozu Diaries, Raim continues this legacy with a definitive portrait of Ozu Yasujiro and his profound films of gentle observations, the quiet realities of Japanese middle-class life and inevitable social change.
Daniel Raim
American documentary filmmaker Daniel Raim is an Academy Award–nominated director and AFI alumnus. His work shines a light on the artistry of cinema’s masters and unsung heroes, blending emotional depth with rare archival treasures. Raim’s debut, The Man on Lincoln’s Nose (2000), earned an Academy Award nomination for its portrait of Hitchcock’s production designer Robert F. Boyle. He went on to direct Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story (2015). Raim has created over 30 documentaries for the Criterion Collection. His latest film, The Ozu Diaries, was produced in association with Shochiku and TCM.
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
2000 – The Man on Lincoln’s Nose
2015 – Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story
2019 – Image Makers
2022 – Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen
2025 – The Ozu Diaries