The Japanese Paper Film Project

Live musical accompaniment by Duo Yumeno. Introduction by Eric Faden, supervisor of The Japanese Paper Film Project.


Glimpse some of the few surviving examples of film made on paper instead of celluloid (kami firumu), a rare form of filmmaking from 1930s Japan. Companies in this field produced both animated and live-action films, often in color. Many of the films contained synchronized soundtracks on 78 rpm vinyl.


So few film prints of this type survive because of the short period of production, the varying paper quality, and the devastation of WWII. Now, almost ninety years later, the handful of surviving prints are beginning to deteriorate. The Japanese Paper Film Project is racing against time to preserve the films before they disappear entirely.


About Duo Yumeno
New York–based koto/shamisen player and singer Yoko Reikano Kimura and cellist Hikaru Tamaki create a singular fusion sound, inspired by tradition but with a contemporary sensibility. Duo Yumeno’s repertoire includes a dynamic range of compositions—both traditional and contemporary—all of which explore the dialogue between classical Japanese and Western music.
Composite image: (left) Still from the live-action film Paradise on a Deserted Island (孤島の楽園); print courtesy of the Toy Film Museum / (diagonal strip) Film strip from Tokkyu Chushingura from the Toy Film Museum collection / (vertical strip) Film strip from The Battle of Monkey and Crab from the Toy Film Museum collection