Directing
Katsu Kanai
- Born
- Jul 9, 1936 · Aged 89
- Died
- Apr 22, 2026
- Place of birth
- Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
- Gender
- Male
- Movie credits
- 7
- TV credits
- 0
- Directing credits
- 6
Biography
Katsu Kanai (金井 勝, Kanai Katsu, born 9 July 1936) is a Japanese experimental and avant-garde film director. The Harvard Film Archive has called him "one of the most vital and inventive filmmakers in the history of Japanese underground film". Born the son of a farmer in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanai graduated from the College of Art of Nihon University before finding work at Daiei Film. He later became a freelance cinematographer and founded Kanai Productions in 1968. His first film, The Deserted Archipelago (1969, aka The Desert Island) won the grand prix at the Nyon International Documentary…
