This year's festival seeks to highlight the films from the 1960s which might serve as an introduction to the period termed by many as the Japanese New Wave. Three directors - OSHIMA Nagisa, YOSHIDA Yoshishige and SHINODA Masahiro, from SHOCHIKU Studios were part of Shochiku's "New Wave". The leader of the New Wave OSHIMA Nagisa is the also subject of this year's focus, with four of his later works to be shown. Oshima's A TOWN OF LOVE AND HOPE, Yoshida's GOOD FOR NOTHING and Shinoda's A FLAME AT THE PIER marked the beginning of SHOCHIKU's "New Wave". Often contrasted with Oshima's style, IMAMURA Shohei's two films might be seen as offering an alternative view of the Japanese New Wave. Lastly, OTOTO by ICHIKAWA Kon might seem out of place in this focus, but this widely admired film by ICHIKAWA might also serve as a reminder of where Japanese Cinema stood in 1960 before OSHIMA and his pack rebelled.