Yasujirō Ozu

Biography

Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He began his career during the era of silent films. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in the 1930s. Marriage and family, especially the relationships between the generations, are prominent themes in Ozu's work. His most lauded films include Late Spring (1949), Tokyo Story (1953), Floating Weeds (1959), and An Autumn Afternoon (1962). His reputation has continued to grow since his death, and he is widely regarded as one of the world's most influential directors. In the 2012 Sight & Sound poll, Ozu's Tokyo Story was voted the greatest film of all time by world directors.

Directed

1. Tokyo Story (1953) — Director
2. Late Spring (1949) — Director
3. An Autumn Afternoon (1962) — Director
4. Good Morning (1959) — Director
5. Early Summer (1951) — Director
6. Floating Weeds (1959) — Director
7. Late Autumn (1960) — Director
8. Equinox Flower (1958) — Director
9. Tokyo Twilight (1957) — Director
10. I Was Born, But... (1932) — Director
11. The Only Son (1936) — Director
12. The End of Summer (1961) — Director
13. The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice (1952) — Director
14. Early Spring (1956) — Director
15. There Was a Father (1942) — Director
16. A Story of Floating Weeds (1934) — Director
17. Record of a Tenement Gentleman (1947) — Director
18. A Hen in the Wind (1948) — Director
19. Tokyo Chorus (1931) — Director
20. The Munekata Sisters (1950) — Director
21. What Did the Lady Forget? (1937) — Director
22. Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family (1941) — Director
23. Woman of Tokyo (1933) — Director
24. An Inn in Tokyo (1935) — Director
25. A Straightforward Boy (1929) — Director
26. Passing Fancy (1933) — Director
27. That Night's Wife (1930) — Director
28. Dragnet Girl (1933) — Director
29. I Graduated, But... (1929) — Director
30. Days of Youth (1929) — Director
31. Where Now Are the Dreams of Youth? (1932) — Director
32. Walk Cheerfully (1930) — Director
33. The Lion Dance (1936) — Director
34. A Mother Should Be Loved (1934) — Director
35. Fighting Friends (1929) — Director
36. I Flunked, But... (1930) — Director
37. The Lady and the Beard (1931) — Director
38. Until the Day We Meet Again (1932) — Director
39. The Sorrow of the Beautiful Woman (1931) — Director
40. A Primer on Marriage (1930) — Director

Also appeared in

1. Yasujiro Ozu and the Taste of Sake (1978) — Self (archive footage)
2. Proust Palimpsesto: Pastiches e Misturas (2026) — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
3. The Ozu Diaries (2025) — Self (archive footage)