Akira Kurosawa‘s legacy is getting the 4K treatment with a massive U.S. festival. Film Forum in New York City will be hosting a special retrospective to honor the late auteur, including the U.S. premieres of a slew of 4K restorations of Kurosawa’s most beloved films.
From July 18 to 31, Film Forum will screen the new 4K restorations of “High and Low,” “Throne of Blood,” “Stray Dog,” “Ikiru,” “Yojimbo,” “Sanjuro,” and “The Hidden Fortress.” The festival coincides with Spike Lee’s reimagining of Kurosawa’s 1963 crime drama “High and Low,” titled “Highest 2 Lowest,” which debuted at Cannes 2025.
Kurosawa’s acclaimed “Seven Samurai” recently celebrated its 70th anniversary with a 4K restoration and theatrical re-release in 2024. The restored film debuted at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival; the festival also honored Kurosawa’s contributions to cinema by incorporating a still of “Rhapsody in August” in the official Cannes poster that year.
All 4K restorations for Kurosawa’s films were made possible by Toho Co. Ltd, which released his original films. The only non 4K feature to screen at the Film Forum festival is “Rashomon,” which will be presented in a 2K restoration by the Academy Film Archive, the National Film Center of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, and Kadokawa Pictures, Inc. The festival is made possible by distributor Janus Films.
Check out the full list of films, with language provided by Film Forum, below.
“Throne of Blood” –New 4K Restoration
A vivid, visceralMacbethadaptation,Throne of Blood,directed by Akira Kurosawa, sets Shakespeare’s definitive tale of ambition and duplicity in a ghostly, fog-enshrouded landscape in feudal Japan. As a hardened warrior who rises savagely to power, Toshiro Mifune gives a remarkable, animalistic performance, as does Isuzu Yamada as his ruthless wife.Throne of Bloodfuses classical Western tragedy with formal elements taken from Noh theater to create an unforgettable cinematic experience.
Japan, 1957, 109 min
“Stray Dog” –New 4K Restoration
A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a hot, crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo’s sweltering streets for the stray dog whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, cop and criminal’s lives become more intertwined and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami’s own dark side. Starring Toshiro Mifune, as the rookie cop, and Takashi Shimura, as the seasoned detective who keeps him on the right side of the law,Stray Dog(Nora Inu) goes beyond a crime thriller, probing the squalid world of postwar Japan and the nature of the criminal mind.
Japan, 1949, 122 min
“High and Low“–New 4K Restoration
Toshiro Mifune is unforgettable as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy industrialist whose family becomes the target of a cold-blooded kidnapper inHigh and Low(Tengoku to jigoku), the highly influential domestic drama and police procedural from director Akira Kurosawa. Adapting Ed McBain’s detective novelKing’s Ransom,Kurosawa moves effortlessly from compelling race-against-time thriller to exacting social commentary, creating a diabolical treatise on contemporary Japanese society.
Japan, 1963, 143 min
“The Hidden Fortress“–New 4K Restoration
A grand-scale adventure as only Akira Kurosawa could make one,The Hidden Fortressstars the inimitable Toshiro Mifune as a general charged with guarding his defeated clan’s princess (a fierce Misa Uehara) as the two smuggle royal treasure across hostile territory. Accompanying them are a pair of bumbling, conniving peasants who may or may not be their friends. This rip-roaring ride is among the director’s most beloved films and was a primary influence on George Lucas’sStar Wars. The Hidden Fortressdelivers Kurosawa’s trademark deft blend of wry humor, breathtaking action, and compassionate humanity.
Japan, 1958, 139 min
“Ikiru“–New 4K Restoration
One of the greatest achievements by Akira Kurosawa,Ikirushows the director at his most compassionate—affirming life through an exploration of death. Takashi Shimura beautifully portrays Kanji Watanabe, an aging bureaucrat with stomach cancer who is impelled to find meaning in his final days. Presented in a radically conceived twopart structure and shot with a perceptive, humanistic clarity of vision,Ikiruis a multifaceted look at what it means to be alive.
Japan, 1952, 143 min
“Yojimbo“–New 4K Restoration
The incomparable Toshiro Mifune stars in Akira Kurosawa’s visually stunning and darkly comicYojimbo.To rid a terror-stricken village of corruption, wily masterless samurai Sanjuro turns a range war between two evil clans to his own advantage. Remade twice, by Sergio Leone and Walter Hill, this exhilarating genre-twister remains one of the most influential and entertaining films of all time.
Japan, 1961, 110 min
“Sanjuro“–New 4K Restoration
Toshiro Mifune swaggers and snarls to brilliant comic effect in Akira Kurosawa’s tightly paced, beautifully composedSanjuro.In this sly companion piece toYojimbo,jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan’s evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a “proper” samurai on its ear. Less brazen in tone than its predecessor but equally entertaining, this classic character’s return is a masterpiece in its own right.
Japan, 1962, 95 min
“Seven Samurai“–4K Restoration
One of the most thrilling movie epics of all time, SEVEN SAMURAI tells the story of a sixteenth-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire the eponymous warriors to protect them from invading bandits. This three-hour ride from Akira Kurosawa—featuring legendary actors Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura—seamlessly weaves philosophy and entertainment, delicate human emotions and relentless action, into a rich, evocative, and unforgettable tale of courage and hope.
Japan, 1954, 207 min
“Rashomon“–2K Restoration
A riveting psychological thriller that investigates the nature of truth and the meaning of justice,Rashomonis widely considered one of the greatest films ever made. Four people give different accounts of a man’s murder and the rape of his wife, which director Akira Kurosawa presents with striking imagery and an ingenious use of flashbacks. This eloquent masterwork and international sensation revolutionized film language and introduced Japanese cinema—and a commanding new star by the name of Toshiro Mifune—to the Western world.
Japan, 1950, 88 min
