Akira Kurosawa (1910 - 1998) was a Japanese filmmaker.
The twenty-third New York Film Festival opened with Kurosawa's Ran (Chaos). It provided the perfect setting for his masterpiece for it is a non-competitive festival that aims at celebrating the art of film rather than offering a location for the making of deals. Hollywood directors shun the festival, and even the New York-based director Martin Scorsese refused to show his latest film, After Hours, because he feared Kurosawa's work would steal the limelight. Kurosawa's film and his presence have dominated the festival and have lent a dignified and quietly celebratory note to the events.
