[4] The term New Wave was coined after the French Nouvelle vague, a movement which had challenged the traditions of their national cinema in style and content, countering established narratives and genres with "the ambiguous complexities of human relationships" and polished techniques with deliberately rough ones,[5] and introducing the theory that directors should be the auteurs of their films.
[6] Unlike the French counterpart, the Japanese New Wave originated within the film studio establishment,[1] especially Shochiku, whose head Shirō Kido hoped that "cheaply made, innovative pictures could emulate the success of the Nouvelle Vague in Europe".
[1][7][8] Important early examples of the Shochiku New Wave were Cruel Story of Youth and Night and Fog in Japan (both 1960, dir.
[14] Themes addressed by the New Wave included radical politics,[20] juvenile delinquency, uninhibited sexuality,[21] changing roles of women in society, LGBTQI+ culture, racism and the position of ethnic minorities in Japan.
[7] While Ōshima had to look for investors outside of Japan,[7] Imamura and Hani switched to documentary filmmaking for television,[7][23] and Shinoda retreated to "academic" (Jacoby) adaptations of classic literature.