Directors Company

Director's Company  was a Japanese film production company created in 1982 to provide a venue outside the major studio system for young proven filmmakers to grow artistically.

The company's president, Susumu Miyasaka, came from an advertising and public relations background and he was joined by founding members Kazuhiko Hasegawa, Toshiharu Ikeda, Sōgo Ishii, Kazuyuki Izutsu, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Kichitaro Negishi, Kazuki Ōmori, Shinji Sōmai and Banmei Takahashi, none of them older than 36 years of age. Many started their mainstream career at this time, building upon Miyasaka's ideal of expanding the restricting ambitions of Nikkatsu's Roman Porno and pink films.

For distribution of its works, the group maintained links with major companies such as Nikkatsu, Kadokawa Pictures and Art Theatre Guild, as well as the smaller firms New Century Producers and Kitty Films. The company dissolved due to bankruptcy in 1992, ten years after its foundation.

These partnerships helped their films gain theatrical release and critical attention, both domestically and internationally.

Legacy and Dissolution

Unfortunately, despite its cultural impact and artistic achievements, Director's Company went bankrupt and dissolved in 1992, marking the end of a decade-long experiment in independent Japanese cinema.

Today, the company’s legacy lives on through the influential careers of its members and the lasting impression they left on Japanese filmmaking in the 1980s and beyond.