Japanese paper films! What?

Yes, in the 1930s the Japanese made a whole bunch of short movies using rolls of paper instead of celluloid.

With the aid of a bright light and some clever mirrors this actually worked. But the technology never really took off and these paper movie reels, originally made for showing at home, were basically forgotten. Worse, the paper was fragile and highly susceptible to disintegration.

Game over for paper films?

Not quite.

Researchers eventually realised what a treasure trove this is, if only it could be rescued. They worked out a way of restoring, or rather preserving, and digitising the remaining movies and now, amazingly, it’s possible to view them in all their preserved (not restored) quirkiness.

I was lucky enough to be able to experience these paper films in a presentation to a packed house at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. There was live music too, which was exquisite, and really complemented the films that didn’t have an original ‘78 record soundtrack, which was the majority.

The presenter was Professor Eric Faden, who has devoted an impressive amount of time and effort to ensure these unique cultural artifacts weren’t lost to decay. They’re now a showpiece of the 2025 Japanese Film Festival and a valuable element of Japanese and international film history.

A montage of the Japanese Paper Films presentation, showing stills from the paper reels.

Now, through the magic of the Internet, you can see many of the recovered paper films for yourself, on the project’s Bluesky account.

And here’s a news story from Japanese TV (English language).

I’m the author of Shu Ha Ri. The Japanese Way of Learning, for Artists and Fighters, available now.