犬神家の一族 (Inugami-ke no ichizoku)

The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2025

Dir. ICHIKAWA Kon
1976 | 146 mins | Japan
Japanese with English Subtitles
ISHIZAKA Koji, TAKAMINE Mieko, SANJO Miki, KUSABUE Mitsuko

A rare chance to see this legendary film on the big screen nearly 50 years after it was first released.

Just after World War II, the patriarch of the affluent INUGAMI family dies. The families of his three direct descendants gather, eager to know how his vast assets are distributed in his will. Their anticipation turns to despair, however, when things are revealed to be less straightforward than they expected: the only way of inheriting his fortune is through the marriage of one of his three grandchildren to Tamako, who is an outsider but lives with the deceased. Suddenly, a series of mysterious murders befall the family, from attempted drownings and poisonings to beheadings, and detective KINDAICHI (ISHIZAKA Koji) is called in to investigate.

Based on Japanese mystery crime novelist YOKOMIZO Seishi’s iconic work of the same title, weaves a compelling tale of human greed and family strife in an old-fashioned Japanese village. ICHIKAWA, one of Japan’s legendary directors, made a name for himself with his skilful use of colours, and here he sets a new standard for the Japanese noir with this multi- award-winning blockbuster. YOKOMIZO himself even makes a cameo appearance.

©KADOKAWA CORPORATION 1976

The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2025
Am I Right?
Justice, Justification and Judgement in Japanese Cinema

The UK’s biggest festival of Japanese cinema, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme (JFTFP), is back for its latest and greatest instalment!

In a world where injustice runs rampant, cinematic expressions of justice seem inexhaustible: time and time again, heroic protagonists fend off malicious antagonists or enact their revenge, the constant injustices they face mirroring audiences’ own. Japan is no exception to this, and the JFTFP25 promises to showcase how Japanese filmmakers use the language of cinema to explore the concepts of criminal, social, and moral justice, along with the ways people respond to external judgement. Featuring everything from thought-provoking hidden gems to laugh-a-minute entertainment, UK audiences are invited to join us in questioning the very concepts of justice, justification, and judgement against today’s backdrop of ever-changing values and perspectives

In collaboration with:

Major supporter: Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation

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Sponsors in Kind: Athletia, Calbee, Clearspring, Pentel and SUQQU

VENUE: EXETER PHOENIX, STUDIO 74

*Subject to a £1.50 ticketing system charge. We don’t charge this to make a profit. Find out more >>