"I founded the school in the first place because my father taught me I should do something for young people when I reached the age of 50.''
-- Shohei Imamura (in an interview with a former student in 1994)

Shohei Imamura called me into his office on one of my first days of work at the Japan Academy of the Moving Image (Nihon Eiga Gakko in Japanese). He wanted to know about my impressions of the school, whether I had the resources I needed to do my work, and what my thoughts were on various subjects from film to world culture. I felt it was a bit odd being asked the latter questions by someone I considered such an intellectual powerhouse and also a giant of the filmmaking world. But that was Imamura-sensei. He always exhibited a keen sense of curiosity about everybody around him, regardless of social stature or background (this orientation was echoed in his films, which often center around hustlers, thieves, prostitutes, pornographers and others living on the margins of society). He listened attentively to my likely not-very-deep opinions, and when I walked out the door I was struck with the feeling that he really appreciated me stopping by.

In my five-and-a-half years at the academy, Imamura was always a reassuring presence. He was a small man and, although he was not overweight, he always seemed somehow rotund. His features had a softness about them that mirrored the kindness of his character. Students, studio technicians and faculty would rush around, but the gentle figure of Imamura would amble unhurriedly to his classes and other functions. Despite the fact that he was battling diabetes, he seemed somehow solid, steadfast and meditative. It truly seemed like it was his contemplative state, rather than any health concerns, that led to him shuffling so leisurely down the corridors.