OKADA Kazuo
Producer, Director & Chief Executive
of TokyoCinema Inc.
Personal Profile (CV)
OKADA Sozo with two years old Kazuo in Manjuria 1944
1942: Born in Tokyo, as the first son of
OKADA Sozo, a unique film maker and founder
of Tokyo Cinema Co., Inc.
1961: Entered Metal Engineering Dept., Faculty of
Science and Engineering of the Waseda University.
Summer 1961: Accompanied his father who participated the 2nd Moscow International
Film Festival, and stayed
in Russia to enter VGIK (All Union Institute of Cinematography) and studied Theatrical Film Direction under Film
Director and Professor Michael Romm.
In the meantime, he associated widely with European scientific film-makers
through ISFA (International Science
Film Association).
1966: Completed all the compulsory subjects at VGIK and returned to Japan.
Started to be engaged in science film-
making at Tokyo Cinema Co., Inc.
1970: Participated in founding the ECJA (Encyclopaedia Cinematographica
Japan Archives), a division of the Shimonaka
Memorial Foundation togather with his father, Sozo.
1971: The first film he produced at graduation entitled "HUMAN MIND
AND SOCIETY: HEI-JOH-SHIN or Usage of
Solitude" on social psychiatry, received ISFA Kiev Congress Honorary Diploma. Also, with this film, he acquired the
state license for theatrical and TV film-making, besides Master of Arts from USSR National Examination Committee.
1973: Became one of the Managing Directors at TokyoCinema, Inc. after re-organization
of the company.
1983: Became the chief executive of TokyoCinema Inc. taking over his father's
place.
1984: Became a trustee member of the Shimonaka Memorial Foundation, and
Director of ECJA.
1994: Became President of the CRUMIM: Center for Research on the Use of the Moving Image in Museums, Inc. and
resigned the position in 1998.
Major Films directed & produced:
1971: "HUMAN MIND AND SOCIETY: HEI-JOH-SHIN or Usage of Solitude"
Honorary Diploma, ISFA Kiev congress and
Festival, Golld Prize, New York Intl. Film and TV Festival, Gold Prize,
Medikinale in Marburg, Germany
1972: 6 films under a series of the "GAGAKU", Japanese Court Music, which recorded BUGAKU dance music and KANGEN
instrumental orchestra music. The film "GENJOHRAKU" from this series: Gold Prize, The Film Contest on Japan
1975: "MARINE FLOWERS The Biosphere of Coelenterata", a 3 multi-screen
film for the Ocean Expo in Okinawa. the
Superior Award at the Art Festival of Japan, ISFA Einthoven Congress and
Festival
1977: "MOON JELLY Life Cycle of Aurelia
aurita", received Honorary Diploma at
ISFA Venice Congress and Festival.
1978: "IZAIHO of Kudakajima Island of Okinawa".
1979: "WHERE THERE IS LIFE, THERE IS MOTION The Function of Microtubules",
received The ORBIT award (Grand Prix)
at ANZAAS International Science Film Festival. The Special Recommendable
film by the Ministry of Education, Science and
Culture.
"FAN FESTIVAL OF NACHI SHRINE"
"AMAZING ANIMAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA", a TV mini-program for children (130sec from Monday to Friday for two and a half
years) on wild animals for TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting Systems).
1980: "FESTIVAL OF AUGUST 15TH IN THE YORON ISLAND".
1981: "MAYUNGANASHI OF KABIRA VILLAGE, ISHIGIGAKI ISLAND".
1982: "WHERE THERE IS LIFE, THERE IS MOTION Part 2, The Role of Microfilaments
in Cell Motility", received Grand Prix at
ANZAAS International Science Film Festival.
"DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY OF AN ASCHIDIAN, Halocynthia roretzi", received Honorary Diploma at ISFA Jena Congress
and Festival.
"UWASE SHINJI a Festivity Ritual and
Performing Arts of the Middle Age, transcended
to Wakasa region".
1983: "DIARY OF THE ANIMALS IN THE NORTH: In Quest of White-Tailed
Sea Eagles", a TV program for TBS-Hitachi TV City.
1984: "ANIMAL FAMILIES OF THE NORTH" for 12thTV Channel Super-TV
series. Episode 3 "SALMON! 250 days at the
mother river", Agricultural Minister's award at the Japan Animal Welfare
Film Festival.
1985: "LORDS OF HOKKAIDO", selected as the Special Recommendable Film
by the Ministry of Education, Science and
Culture & received Special Jury Award at Wild Screen '86.
1987: "LaserDisc ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ANIMALS" in 8 vols.
1989: "HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO IMAGE OF PROTOZOA", received the
Award of the Minister of Science & Technology Agency
at the Science & Technology Film/Video Festival, Special Honoraly Diploma
at ISFA Utrecht Congress and Festival.
1991: Coordinated interviews with politicians of the USSR for "SUNDAY PROJECT", a TV program on social and political issues
for TV Asahi in Tokyo and Asahi TV in Osaka.
1992: "TRAGEDY OF WESTERN SIBERIA", a "Sunday Project"
series for TV Asahi. Restored 4 masterpieces of "THE AINU" film
documents shot in 1920's and 30's.
1993: "FOREST OF THE RACCOON DOG"
a NHK TV Program "The Global Family".
1994: "MARINE FLOWERS", High Definition
TV Version. "REVIVED FOLK MUSIC A Report
from Kazakhstan" for NHK "ETV Special".
"NATURE OF CENTRAL ASIA Rare Animals Brought by the Ili River"
for NHK "Global Family".
1996: "LIFE OF THE FRESHWATER SPONGE", received The Best Research
Film award at Ronda International Scientific Film
Festival in Spain.
1998: "100 SELECTED SOUND SCAPE OF JAPAN", a video package in
20 volumes.
1999: "GAGAKU", a video package in 10 volumes.
2000: "THE SEA IN THE SEED @Sperm of Gingko Biloba and Reproductive Evolution in Plants" The Best Scientific Film award at
Ronda, Spain and TEPIA Grand Prix in Tokyo
2001: "THE IKAT MASTER IN FERGANA" for "Asia Who's Who"
TV series NHK BS1
2003:
2004: "DIALOGUE OF DIASPORAS" a documentary video shot in Kazakhstan
(in 2012 renamed ITTE-RASSHAI)
Other Activities:
1982: An Executive Committee member
of the International Science Film Association
at the ISFA Jena Congress.
1982: An International Programing Member,
BKSTS Bath International Wildlife Film Makers
Symposium.
1982: An International Jury of the Wild Screen
'82 in Bristol UK, organized by WWF
International.
1984: An International Editorial member of
the Encyclopaedia Cinematographica, headquater
Goettingen Germany.
1987: An International Jury of the Wildlife
Film Section at the 11th Indian International
Film Festival .
1989: The Coordinator "Japan Evening",
the International Scientific Audio-Visual
Forum at the Science & Industry Museum,
Paris.
1990: Research and Acquisition Coordinator in
Visual Anthropology for the Hokkaido Museum of
Northern Peoples.
1991: Wrote a thesis "Yesterday, today and Tomorrow in Japanese Scientific Audio-Visuals" and received the Ogura-Saeki Award
of the Japan Society of Motion Pictures and TV Engineering.
1991: An International Jury of the Paernu
International Visual Anthropology Festival,
Estonia.
1992: Organizer of "How Big cultures can learn from Small Cultures"
for the International Year of Indigenous People, for the 30th
anniversary of the Shimonaka Memorial Foundation.
An International Jury of the Quebec International
Science & Technology Film Festival.
Became the Vice Chairman of WARM World Association of Research Media, established
by The Rome Club.
1993: Research and Acquisition coordinator for AV materials on world lakes and ponds, and underwater archeology for Biwako
Lake Museum in Shiga Prefecture.
1993: Co-editor for The Newsletter on Moving Images for Life-Time Learning
and Museums.
A co-organizer for the International Workshop,
"Future Images of Korean Diaspora in
Multi-Ethnic Symbion" in Almatiy Kazakhstan.
1994: Reported "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow of Japanese Visual
Anthropology" at the International Visual Anthropology
Symposium in Beijing, China.
1995: Reported "Restoration of Ainu
films of 1920s and 1930s at the Moscow International
Visual Anthropology Seminar.
Gave a lecture on "Current Japanese Science Film Situation" at
the International Symposium in commemoration of 100th
anniversary of the birth of Cinema at the Museum of Invention, Paris.
1999: Leaded 2 weeks "Cine-video Micrography
Workshop" organized
by Filmoteca of UNAM in the Mexico-city
2003: Invited guest, International Congress
on "Open and Closed Society" in
Warsaw, Poland and Moscow, Russia
2003: An International Jury, The Roshd International
Film Festival, Iran
2004: Invited guest, International Visual Anthropology Festival at Moscow
State University, Russia
Domicile: 5-61 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Home Address; #2-101, 31, Hakusan-2, Tokyo-112-0001,
JAPAN
phn; +813-3811-4577 fax: +813-3811-4576
e-mail: k-okada@TokyoCinema.net
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