Screen Translation and the Benshi Tradition in Japan

Join the eminent Japanese Benshi Ichiro Kataoka as he discusses with Professor Markus Nornes, some of the issues surrounding screen translation in Japan. Through a series of short films and extracts in English and Japanese, Professor Nornes and Ichiro Kataoka will illustrate the challenges of translating both silent and sound film, and how Benshi, as performers, were an important part of the film viewing experience in their own right.

Speakers:

Markus Nornes is Professor of Asian Cinema at the University of Michigan.
Ichiro Kataoka is one of the top professional Benshi in Japan. He tours globally and accompanies Japanese silent films.

With live piano accompaniment by Cyrus Gabrysch.