Art Theatre Guild

Art Theatre Guild

Company type	Film production, film distribution
Industry	Film studio
Founded	1961
Headquarters	Japan

The Art Theatre Guild (ATG) was a Japanese film production and distribution company which started in 1961, releasing mostly Japanese New Wave and art films. ^{[1] [2]} The programming was complemented by a print magazine called Art Theatre containing articles, summaries, and film criticism. ^[3] From the late 1960s to the mid 1980s, it also often acted as producer. ^{[1] [2]} In 2018, ATG merged with its parent company Toho. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

History

ATG began as a distributor for foreign art films in Japan, ^[2] with the Toho studio being its main financier and one of its initiators. ^[1] By 1967, ATG was assisting with production costs for a number of new Japanese films. ^[2] Some of the early films released by ATG include Shōhei Imamura's A Man Vanishes (1967), Nagisa Oshima's Diary Of A Shinjuku Thief (1968) and Death by Hanging (1968), Toshio Matsumoto's Funeral Parade of Roses (1969), and Akio Jissoji's Mujo (1970). ^{[2] [7]}

See also

• Art Theatre Guild filmography

References

1. Domenig, Roland (28 June 2004). "The Anticipation of Freedom: Art Theatre Guild and Japanese Independent Cinema". Midnight Eye. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
2. Berra, John (2010). Directory of World Cinema: Japan. Intellect. p. 8. ISBN   9781841503356.
3. Masuda, Miki (12 May 2015). "The Dawn of Art Films in Japan, Art Theatre Guild (ATG): Ushering in Innovative Forms". Columbia University Libraries. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
4. "東宝、日本アートシアターギルド吸収合併へ (Toho to merge with Japan Art Theater Guild)". Bunka Tsushin (in Japanese). 26 September 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
5. Official Toho press release of the merging with ATG.
6. "（株）日本アート・シアター・ギルド（ATG）吸収合併のお知らせ (Notice of Merger with Japan Art Theater Guild (ATG) )". JPubb (in Japanese). 25 September 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
7. Standish, Isolde (2005). A New History of Japanese Cinema. New York: Continuum. ISBN   9780826417091.

Further reading

• Domenig, Roland; Stern, Michael (trans.); Maffre, Frédéric (trans.); Vieillot, Martin (trans.). "Cinéma indépendant & Art Theatre Guild" (in French). EigaGoGo!. Retrieved 6 June 2006. (orig. English article from Minikoni (N°70))
• Mes, Thomas (28 June 2004). "Art Theatre Guild: Unabhängiges Japanisches Kino 1962-1984 (Book Review)". Midnight Eye. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
• Alekseyeva, Julia (22 November 2021). "'Self-revolutions of everyday life': the politics of ATG" . The Sixties: 1–18. doi:10.1080/17541328.2021.1996793. ISSN   1754-1328 – via Taylor & Francis.