Japanese Paper Films

Admission is free. No advance reservations. Your seat will be assigned to you when you pick up your ticket at the box office. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis. The box office opens one hour before the event.

In the 1930s, amid mounting competition from an influx of foreign cartoons, Japan’s animation industry began searching for cheaper and faster modes of production. Enter kami firumu, or paper films. These short films, both animated and live-action, were printed onto paper strips and glued together by hand. Initially, kami firumu were exhibited using a hand-crank projector that operated without a fixed framerate; despite this, they were often paired with intentionally synchronized soundtracks pressed onto 78 RPM records. Much like Japanese nitrate films of the era, few of these paper films managed to survive the destruction wrought by World War II.

90 years after the height of kami firumu’s popularity, a team at Bucknell University, along with international collaborators, are working to preserve these fragile films from the wear and tear they’ve accumulated over their journey to the present. Join us at the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum as we welcome Eric Faden, project lead of the Japanese Paper Film Project, for a rare opportunity to experience kami firumu projected alongside live musical accompaniment and discuss the innovative techniques currently being used to safeguard these fascinating artifacts of pre-war Japanese cinema. 

DCP, color, silent with live musical accompaniment, total run time 75 min. 

Special thanks to Eric Faden, Bucknell University; Michael Emmerich, director, Yanai Initiative; Elizabeth Leicester, associate director, Yanai Initiative.

Programmed by Senior Film Programmer Paul Malcolm. Notes written by Noah Brockman.