Japan
Directed by Kei Kumai, “Sandakan No. 8,” set in mid-20th-century Japan, was nominated for the 1975 Best Foreign Language Oscar, after winning a major prize at the Berlin Film Festival.
The title refers to a brothel in Borneo; the film is also knowns as “Room No. 8.”
It’s the story of a crusading female journalist, who meets an elderly woman who years earlier had been shipped to Borneo. We find out that as a young girl, she had been sold into prostitution by her poor family.
The movie tries to make a strong statement about the position of women in Japan—past and [present.
Originally released in the US without a rating, the film has since been classified R.
Oscar Nominations: 1
Best Foreign Lnaguage Film
Oscar Awards: None
Oscar Context:
The winner of the Best Foreign Language Film was Kurosawa’s “Dersu Uzala.”
Credits
Running time: 121 Minutes
Directed by Kei Kumai.
Released on November 2, 1974.
Cast
Kinuyo Tanaka as Osaki Yamakawa as an ol…
Komaki Kurihara as Keiko Mitani
Eitarô Ozawa as Tarozo
Yoko Takahashi as Osaki as a young woman
