Film was one of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s principal paths to understanding the world. The cultures and ideas interwoven within movies was a rich source of nourishment for his art. The series Cinematic Soundscape centers on Ryuichi Sakamoto’s multifaceted relationship with motion pictures, featuring online screenings, live screenings, and talks. It presents documentaries about Sakamoto, concert footage, and some of the classic movies that deeply influenced him, as well as films featuring his original soundtracks. Here, everyone has the chance to watch Sakamoto, listen to Sakamoto, and understand how Sakamoto viewed cinema, by looking at it through his eyes. In this way, we can gain insight into his thinking and his concern for social and environmental issues. We can become familiar with how Ryuichi Sakamoto contemplated the interplay between sound, image, time, space and humanity and more deeply appreciate how he offered a new way to rethink and sense the world through sound.
Online Screenings｜Taiwan Public Television Service
In collaboration with Taiwan Public Television Service (PTS), this project presents the curated series “Time in Sync, Classics Revisited: Ryuichi Sakamoto.” Centered on documentaries and concert films related to Ryuichi Sakamoto, the series looks back on his life experiences and artistic career throughout different periods, revealing how his thought evolved. Additionally, films scored by Sakamoto allow viewers to see and hear how he responded to imagery, narrative, and directors’ concepts, constructing music to fit predetermined conditions. Viewed alongside the “installation music” presented in this exhibition, these films offer a many-sided understanding of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s artistic practice across an array of creative disciplines and methods.
Film Lineup
Documentaries on Sakamoto
■ Tokyo Melody: A Film about Ryuichi Sakamoto | Elizabeth Lennard | France, Japan | 1985 | Color | 63 min.
■ Ryuichi Sakamoto: CODA | Stephen Nomura Schible | USA, Japan | 2017 | Color | 100 min.
Concert Films
■ Ryuichi Sakamoto: Playing the Orchestra 2014 | Nanami Ono | Japan | 2024 | Color | 119 min.
■ Ryuichi Sakamoto: async at the Park Avenue Armory | Stephen Nomura Schible | USA, Japan | 2018 | Color | 65 min.
Films and Film Scores
■ Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence | Nagisa Ōshima | Japan, UK, New Zealand | 1983 | Color | 123 min.
■ The Last Emperor | Bernardo Bertolucci | China, UK, Italy, France | 1987 | Color | 219 min.
■ Your Face | Tsai Ming-liang | Taiwan | 2018 | Color | 77 min.
Watch on PTS+ →
Live Screenings｜January 2027
The film lineup and event details will be announced at a later date. Stay tuned!
Program Team
Program Supervision | San Shung, Education and Public Services Department; Tzu-Chin Kao, Marketing and Public Relations Department
Program Planning and Coordination | Huiying Chen, Huang Siou-lin, Lin Yi-Chun, Education and Public Services Department; Daisy Shiou, Marketing and Public Relations Department
Visual Design | Rohan Hu
Translation (Chinese to English) | Brent Heinrich