Venice International Film Festival 2026 | Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival 2026 | Festival du Nouveau Cinema 2026
SHUMEI: The Living Legacy of Kabuki follows the 2022 succession ceremony of the Thirteenth Ichikawa Danjūrō Hakuen. In his first documentary feature, director Takashi Miike offers an intimate portrait of Danjūrō and his son, Shinnosuke, capturing both the grandeur of the Shūmei ceremonies and the personal responsibilities, pressures, and sacrifices involved in carrying forward one of Japan's oldest performing traditions.
Born in Osaka in 1960, Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He made his directorial debut with Toppū! Minipato tai - Aikyacchi jankushon (1991), followed by his first theatrical release, Shinjuku kuroshakai: Chaina mafia sensō (1995). With a filmography exceeding one hundred titles, Miike’s diverse work spans violent action, animation and children’s television dramas. His cinema has earned critical acclaim globally, winning numerous international film festival awards; in 2007, Time magazine named Ōdishon one of the top twenty-five horror movies of all time.
