Upon graduating from Waseda University, Imamura joined Shochiku Ofuna in 1951, where he honed his craft serving as assistant director under the tutelage of OZU Yasujiro and KAWASHIMA Yuzo. In 1954, he transferred together with Kawashima to the newly revived Nikkatsu, making his directorial debut in 1958 with Stolen Desire (Nusumareta yokujo). Over the next several years, he would achieve widespread recognition with a string of vital works bursting with chaotic energy – including Hogs and Warships (Buta to gunkan, aka Pigs and Battleships, 1961), The Insect Woman (Nippon konchuki, 1963), and Intentions of Murder (Akai satsui, 1964) – earning the nickname "Demon Imahei" (a portmanteau combining the first and second halves of his family and given name) for his uncompromising shooting style and vigorously realistic portrayals of the underbelly of human desire. Following the establishment of his own company, Imamura Production, he turned his hand to documentary films and television dramas, before finally exploding on to the world stage with The Ballad of Narayama (Narayama bushiko, 1983), for which he was awarded the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. He continued to reap success with films such as Black Rain (Kuroi ame, 1989) and The Eel (Unagi, 1997), the latter of which saw him awarded the Palme d'Or for a second time. He is also known for his efforts aimed at fostering future generations of filmmakers, having founded the Yokohama Broadcasting Technical School (now known as the Japan Institute of the Moving Image) in 1975.

(Taken from text originally written for National Film Archive of Japan screening program / Rearranged by FUJIWARA Masao / Translated by Adam Sutherland)