Akira Kurosawa
Film director · 29 films (1943–1993)
Akira Kurosawa is a director whose work here spans Sanshiro Sugata (1943) to Madadayo (1993), across drama and action. 11 of those films were photographed by Asakazu Nakai. All 1,648 frames from 29 films are indexed here, searchable by lighting, lens, shot size, colour and mood.
Akira Kurosawa (黒澤 明) was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema.
Born 23 March 1910 · Shinagawa, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan · died 6 September 1998
Directing style
Kurosawa anchors his tense, lonely dramas with eye-level camera angles and deep depth of field, maintaining sharp focus across wide and medium shots that balance interior and exterior spaces. His cinematography relies heavily on a stark black-and-white aesthetic, though his color work incorporates cool, desaturated tones alongside earthy greens, muted grays, and deep blacks. Scenes are shaped by naturalistic, directional light sources, utilizing direct sunlight for day exteriors and relying on windows and practical lamps to texture his interiors.
Awards
- Academy Awards · 1952
- BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language · 1986
- BAFTA Award for Best Direction · 1981
- Palme d'Or · 1980
- FIPRESCI Prize of the Festival de Cannes · 1959
- Golden Lion · 1951
- Silver Bear · 1959
- Silver Bear for Best Director · 1959
- David di Donatello for Best Foreign Director · 1986
- César Award for Best Foreign Film · 1981
- César Award · 1981
- David di Donatello for Best Foreign Director · 1981
Films directed by Akira Kurosawa
Sanshiro Sugata (1943)
The Most Beautiful (1944)
Sanshiro Sugata Part II (1945)
The Men Who Tread on the Tigers Tail (1945)
No Regrets for Our Youth (1946)
One Wonderful Sunday (1947)
Drunken Angel (1948)
Stray Dog (1949)
The Quiet Duel (1949)
Rashomon (1950)
Scandal (1950)
The Idiot (1951)
Ikiru (1952)
Seven Samurai (1954)
I Live In Fear (1955)
The Lower Depths (1957)
Throne of Blood (1957)
The Hidden Fortress (1958)
The Bad Sleep Well (1960)
Yojimbo (1961)
Sanjuro (1962)
High and Low (1963)
Red Beard (1965)
Dodes’ka-den (1970)
Dersu Uzala (1975)
Kagemusha (1980)
Ran (1985)
Rhapsody in August (1991)
Madadayo (1993)
About Akira Kurosawa
When was Akira Kurosawa born?
Akira Kurosawa was born on 23 March 1910 in Shinagawa, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan and died on 6 September 1998.
What films has Akira Kurosawa directed?
FrameThrower holds stills from 29 of them: Sanshiro Sugata (1943), The Most Beautiful (1944), Sanshiro Sugata Part II (1945), The Men Who Tread on the Tigers Tail (1945), No Regrets for Our Youth (1946), One Wonderful Sunday (1947), Drunken Angel (1948) and Stray Dog (1949) and more.
What awards has Akira Kurosawa won?
Academy Awards (1952), BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language (1986), BAFTA Award for Best Direction (1981) and Palme d'Or (1980).
Search every frame of Akira Kurosawa’s films
All 1,648 indexed frames from 29 films directed by Akira Kurosawa — searchable by lighting, lens, shot size, mood or plain language.