Yamanaka Sadao

YAMANAKA Sadao (1909, Japan – 1938, China) was a Japanese filmmaker and contemporary of Ozu and Mizoguchi. Like so many other directors, he began his career as an assistant director in the Japanese film industry. He was one of the leading figures to develop ‘Jidaigeki’, a genre of historical films mostly set during the Edo period of Japanese history. He was known for creating films that escaped clichés and focused on social injustices. He directed 26 films. Praised by Kurosawa, Humanity and Paper Balloons (1937) was his last film and premiered on the day Yamanaka was drafted into the Japanese army.