Teruo Ishii Memorial Programme

Marking 12 years since the passing of cult auteur Teruo Ishii (1924-2005), director of such classics as Sexy Line, The G-men of the Pacific and Horrors of Malformed Men, but also of the acclaimed Abashiri Prison series and a number of avant-garde highlights, Cinema Vera looks back at this groundbreaking Tokyoite's career with a 26-film programme. In addition to 'ero-guro' romps for Toei, Nikkatsu and Shochiku, it includes Blind Beast vs Dwarf (2001), Ishii's last film which features Shinya Tsukamoto, Lily Franky and – famously – former MP Mieko Tanaka (in a nude scene!), and a curious lineup of lesser-known yakuza flicks. See the full list here (in Japanese only).