Onibaba

1964, Japan, Kaneto Shindô, 103 min.

Introduced by Hamid Rahmanian

Onibaba takes a chilling look into the nature of war and the dark depths of the human psyche in fourteenth-century Japan. When a man is conscripted into war, his mother and young wife must fend for themselves by ambushing samurai and selling their belongings for food. But when his wife encounters a mysterious man and her mother-in-law finds a demonic mask, their fate is forever changed with a nightmarish intensity. This classic film is included in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.

“Onibaba is a chilling movie, a waking nightmare shot in icy monochrome, and filmed in a colossal and eerily beautiful wilderness.” —Peter Bradshaw

About the Introducer

Hamid Rahmanian is an award-winning filmmaker and graphic artist whose work has been exhibited in international competitions and publications. His narrative and documentary films have premiered at the Venice, Sundance, Toronto, Tribeca, and IDFA film festivals. He has won numerous international awards and his works have been televised on international networks, including PBS, Sundance Channel, IFC, Channel 4, BBC, DR2, and Al Jazeera.