Searching For Kurosawa

Searching for Kurosawa chronicles Kawamura Mitsuhiko’s journey from the set of Kurosawa’s Ran in 1985 to its final release three decades later. Now, with the rediscovered clips and Mitsuhiko’s own recollections, the film pieces together an intimate portrait of cinema’s “Emperor,” revealing how a young cinephile’s passion helped preserve invaluable fragments of film history. In the course of unearthing lost footage, Kawamura’s life takes an ironic course; he loved movies so much that his life became a movie.

Directed by Richard Rowland, Searching For Kurosawa leans on a strong ensemble — Mitsuhiko Kawamura, Akira Kurosawa, Shinnosuke Ikehata — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 2025.