Kwaidan

A meticulously crafted and visually stunning set of four spellbinding Japanese ghost stories.

Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival, Kwaidan weaves an intoxicating spell as it spins four self-contained ghost stories. 'The Black Hair'; 'The Woman of the Snow'; 'Hoichi, the Earless'; and 'In a Cup of Tea', play out all the familiar Japanese ghost tropes from spectral long-haired women and vengeful spirits, to macabre tales of revenge and retribution.

The film’s use of meticulously crafted film sets, vivid colour and minimalist music make this one of the most spellbinding film experiences. Director Masaki Kobayashi who previously was known for more sombre social dramas and period pieces, adapts the writings of Lafcadio Hearn, a folklorist of Greek-Irish ancestry whose four tales play like classic Japanese paintings of historical periods come to startling and breathtaking life.

– Spiro Economopoulos, Guest Curator