The late filmmaker Akira Kurosawa and three of his collaborators were honored by the Writers Guild of America, West at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday for their contributions to screenwriting.
Kurosawa, Ryuzo Kikushima, Hideo Oguni, all deceased, and Shinobu Hashimoto were honored with the 2013 Jean Renoir Award for Screenwriting Achievement for "writing many, many masterpieces, films that reflect the Japanese culture," the organization's vice president, Howard Rodman, said in a statement.
The four worked on "The Hidden Fortress," which earned a Silver Bear for best director at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1959 and is known for influencing George Lucas' "Star Wars."
Hashimoto and Oguni also worked on Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai," which won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1954 and received two Oscar nominations.
The Jean Renoir Award is "given to international screenwriters who have advanced the literature of motion pictures and made outstanding contributions to the profession of screenwriter," the guild said.
