Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will present the television premiere of the new TCM Original documentary The Ozu Diaries (2025) this May, an intimate portrait of legendary Japanese filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu directed by Daniel Raim, an Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker (The Man on Lincoln’s Nose). Drawing on Ozu’s personal writings, the film explores the director’s life, creative philosophy and enduring artistic legacy. The documentary will anchor a month-long programming spotlight celebrating Ozu’s work, featuring 20 films spanning the director’s remarkable career and airing across four consecutive Tuesday evenings beginning May 5. The Ozu Diaries will also screen at the upcoming TCM Classic Film Festival, with Raim appearing in person.
Buy A Story of Floating Weeds / Floating Weeds Criterion Collection Blu-rayOften ranked among the greatest directors in film history, Ozu developed a singular visual language defined by low camera angles, meticulously composed frames and a distinctive use of color in his later films, where carefully balanced palettes and everyday objects—teapots, cushions and seasonal flowers—became expressive visual elements. His quietly profound stories about family, generational change and the passage of time remain among the most deeply felt works in world cinema. The TCM programming event serves as a curated television retrospective of the filmmaker’s work, highlighting key milestones across more than three decades of filmmaking.
“Yasujirō Ozu is one of the most prolific and renowned Japanese filmmakers,” said Alicia Malone, Host of the TCM Imports franchise. “We’re proud to premiere the new TCM Original documentary The Ozu Diaries, which offers a beautiful introduction to Ozu’s life and artistry. His films explore family, generational change and the quiet passage of time with extraordinary sensitivity, and this month-long showcase gives us the chance to share many of his masterpieces with new audiences.”
Across four evenings, the retrospective will feature landmark works including I Was Born, But… (1932), Late Spring (1949), Early Summer (1951) and the widely celebrated Tokyo Story (1953), along with several rarely seen titles from throughout Ozu’s career.
Also debuting during the programming event is a new Turner Classic Movies original interstitial, Ozu in Color, directed by Tony Zhou and Taylor Ramos, creators of the influential video essay series Every Frame a Painting. The piece explores Ozu’s distinctive visual style and examines the director’s transition into color filmmaking during the later years of his career.
The month-long showcase will be organized around four thematic evenings—spotlighting Ozu’s early work, the celebrated “Noriko Trilogy,” his postwar masterpieces and his luminous late color films.
Programming Highlights:
Tuesday, May 5 – The Early Years
- 8:00 PM – The Ozu Diaries (2025) – Television Premiere
- 10:30 PM – I Was Born, But… (1932)
- 12:15 AM – The Only Son (1936)
- 2:45 AM – The Ozu Diaries (2025)
- 5:15 AM – A Story of Floating Weeds (1934) [review]
Tuesday, May 12 – The Noriko Trilogy
- 8:00 PM – Late Spring (1949) [review]
- 10:00 PM – Early Summer (1951)
- 12:15 AM – Tokyo Story (1953)
Early Sound Films
- 2:45 AM – What Did the Lady Forget? (1937)
- 4:00 AM – The Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family (1941)
- 6:00 AM – There Was a Father (1942)
Tuesday, May 19 – Post-War Classics
- 8:00 PM – Record of a Tenement Gentleman (1947)
- 9:30 PM – A Hen in the Wind (1948)
- 11:00 PM – The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice (1952) [review]
- 1:00 AM – Early Spring (1956)
- 3:30 AM – Tokyo Twilight (1957)
Tuesday, May 26 – Ozu in Color
