Mr. Watanabe has worked for 30 years at the Tokyo City Hall and has never accomplished anything. He is the chief of his section, there is a pile of papers on either side of his desk, but nothing is ever decided. When he suddenly finds that he has terminal cancer, Mr. Watanabe vows to make his final days meaningful and turns his efforts to bringing happiness to others by building a playground in a dreary slum neighborhood.
Ikiru is regarded by many critics among the greatest, most life-affirming motion pictures in the history of cinema. Made in 1952, at a time when the Japanese people were beginning to recover from the desperation of the war, Akira Kurosawa's heartbreaking masterpiece affirms life through an exploration of death.
Filmography: Rhapsody in August (1991), Ran (1985), Kagemusha (1980), Yojimbo (1961), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Throne of Blood (1957), Seven Samurai (1954), Rashomon (1950)
Screened as part of a double feature with the film Living
The remake Living by Oliver Hermanus is screened in the festival's program as well