Koji Wakamatsu
Media outlets are reporting that Japanese filmmaker Koji Wakamatsu, aged 76, recently passed away after being struck by a Taxi.
Wakamatsu got his start in filmmaking with ‘pinku’ films, such as Go Go Second Time Virgin, in the 1960’s. These were softcore Japanese titles in which he could insert his subversive, anti-authoritarian themes without raising many eyebrows.
Later in Wakamatsu’s career, he obtained international acclaim thanks to works such as 2007’s United Red Army and 2010’s Caterpillar, both of which are currently streaming on Netflix Instant.
Although Wakamatsu’s films have not been widely available in the West, perhaps his untimely passing will spur Western distributors to take a chance on the considerable body of work he has left behind.
