Gamera 60th Anniversary Film Festival

Poster visual featuring a lineup of popular monsters

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the film “Gamera the Giant Monster,” the “Gamera 60th Anniversary Project” has been officially launched. The first project, the “Showa Gamera Film Festival,” will be held from December 5th. The poster visual and special trailer were also unveiled.

Gamera first appeared in “Gamera the Giant Monster,” released by the now-defunct Daiei in 1965. Suddenly emerging from the ice of the Arctic and attacking various parts of Japan, he eventually became a “children’s ally” and saved people from other monsters. His unique heroic nature, rescuing people from other monsters, captured the hearts of countless fans. His unique appearance as a giant, flying, fire-breathing turtle, and his overwhelming strength set him apart from other monsters, firmly establishing his presence in the Japanese monster film world.

“Giant Monster Gamera”

(C)KADOKAWA 1965

A total of eight films were released in the Showa era. The creative and ingenious works of the Daiei team, led by “Gamera’s Father” Noriaki Yuasa, were highly praised by fans, with the battles between Gamera, Gyaos, and Virus particularly popular. In the Heisei era, a trilogy was released, beginning with “Gamera: Guardian of the Universe.” With a stellar lineup featuring director Shusuke Kaneko, screenwriter Kazunori Ito, and special effects director Shinji Higuchi, the film astounded film fans both in Japan and abroad with its intense worldview and meticulous VFX. Subsequent releases included “Gamera: The Heroes,” which paid homage to the Showa era’s Gamera, and the 2023 animated Netflix series “Gamera: Rebirth,” further cementing the series’ enduring popularity.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Gamera’s birth, and the “Gamera 60th Anniversary Project” has been launched with the slogan “Discover the New Charm of Gamera!” Numerous projects and events will be held between now and next year.

“Gamera 60th Anniversary Project” Logo

First, to commemorate the 60th anniversary, it has been decided to produce 4K digital restorations of three films: the first in the series, “Gamera the Giant Monster,” the second and first color film, “Gamera vs. Barugon,” and the third film, “Gamera vs. Gyaos,” which debuted the popular monster Gyaos. The restorations will be overseen by Director Higuchi, who served as special effects director for the Heisei Gamera trilogy, and Shunichi Ogura, who has overseen 4K digital restorations of many classic films after spending nearly 30 years as a “timing” technician, a key craftsman responsible for adjusting the color tone of film while respecting the director and cinematographer’s wishes. The two have a long history, having worked together at IMAGICA Corporation in the late 1980s, working on the Gamera series as special effects director and timing technician, respectively, for the Heisei Gamera trilogy. Ogura is said to be backing up Director Higuchi’s supervision of this 4K digital restoration, his first, with his extensive knowledge.

Below are comments from Director Higuchi and Ogura on the production of the 4K digital restoration.

From left: Director Shinji Higuchi, Shunichi Ogura

(C)KADOKAWA

■Director Shinji Higuchi

This film was made the year I was born, so it’s almost 60 years old. Ideally, it should have been overseen by someone involved in the production, but as far as I could see, no one was there. It’s a shame.

Now, with the help of Shunichi Ogura, a legendary timing expert for our generation, and Yoshiaki Abe, a colorist at Imagica who is at the forefront of digital grading, I, the humble Higuchi, have humbly accepted this important role as a representative of fans. Uncovering the texture of the monsters’ skin, buried in the dark and hidden by the grain, and unearthing the atmosphere of the set captured on the low-sensitivity negative film of the time, felt like reliving the great achievements of my predecessors, who created such wonderful works through repeated trial and error. It was a wonderful and fulfilling experience.

The timing data reveals a striking number of double-roll composite shots, created by rewinding the original negative and exposing it twice without using an optical printer. I’m deeply impressed by the hard work of our predecessors, who made monster movies in an era when bluescreen compositing was no longer a common option. Please enjoy the birth of Gamera, a story no one has ever seen before.

■Shunichi Ogura

When I heard about this project, I was thrilled to be involved in a 4K restoration of the “Showa Gamera” films I saw in theaters as a child. I was involved in the timing of the “Heisei Gamera Trilogy.” What you saw in theaters was the print film (positive). This 4K restoration is from the negative. Naturally, the appearance will differ from the theater experience because it doesn’t go through a positive. Negatives contain a wealth of information, such as details in bright and dark areas that couldn’t be captured in positives. I restored them to preserve that information while striving to recreate the textures seen at the time. Stay tuned!

Additionally, the “Showa Gamera Film Festival,” which will be released nationwide from December 15th at Kadokawa Cinema Yurakucho and other locations, will screen a total of nine films, including all eight Showa Gamera films, including the three aforementioned 4K digital restorations, and “Gamera: The Brave Ones,” which is full of respect for Showa Gamera. Furthermore, in addition to screening at the film festival, the three 4K digital restorations will also be released in UHD and broadcast on TV, among other developments. For more details, please visit the “Gamera 60th Anniversary Project Official Website (https://cinemakadokawa.jp/gamera/)” and official social media accounts.