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 Tokyo Cinema, Inc. after re-organization of the company.
1983: Became the chief executive of Tokyo Cinema 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 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 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 Prize 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 LIFE IN THE ABYSS" The Prime Minister's Award at the National Science and Technology Film and Video Contest
2001: "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 Post Production)

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 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 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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