Woman in the Dunes is a 1964 Japanese film directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara, adapted from Kobo Abe's novel of the same name, about an amateur entomologist who becomes trapped in a sand pit with a widow who lives there shoveling sand nightly to keep her house from being buried, and who must labor alongside her to survive. The film uses stark black and white cinematography and abstract, tactile close-ups of sand and skin to build a claustrophobic allegory of labor, isolation and eventual acceptance of one's circumstances. It won the Special Jury Prize at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival and is regarded as one of the major works of the Japanese New Wave.
Facts
Classification
Original Language AwardKinema Junpo Award for Best Film 1 Release Year FAQs
Was the director of Woman in the Dunes nominated for an Oscar?
Yes: Hiroshi Teshigahara was a Best Director nominee; Robert Wise won.
Yes. At the Academy Awards ceremony held in April 1966, Hiroshi Teshigahara was one of five nominees for directing for Woman in the Dunes, alongside William Wyler for The Collector, John Schlesinger for Darling and David Lean for Doctor Zhivago. Robert Wise won for The Sound of Music.
Was Woman in the Dunes nominated for Best Foreign Language Film?
Yes; the winner was Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow from Italy.
Yes. It was one of five nominees in the Foreign Language Film category at the 1965 Academy Awards, representing Japan. The winner was Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow from Italy.
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Source Wikipedia: Woman in the Dunes
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Source Wikipedia: Woman in the Dunes
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Source Wikipedia: Woman in the DunesLead sentence 1Quote, Lead sentence 1
Woman in the Dunes or Woman of the Dunes (Japanese: 砂の女, Hepburn: Suna no Onna; lit. 'Sand Woman') is a 1964 Japanese drama film directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara and written by Kobo Abe.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Woman in the Dunes
Infobox, released
1964 2 15
Wikidata P495 country of origin
Japan
Woman in the Dunes, Description, original language
Woman in the Dunes is a 1964 Japanese film directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara, adapted from Kobo Abe's novel of the same name, about an amateur entomologist who becomes trapped in a sand pit with a widow who lives there shoveling sand nightly to keep her house from being buried, and who must labor alongside her to survive.
Wikipedia category, checked 2026-09-27
Category:Best Film Kinema Junpo Award winners
In Medium: Film, Article lead sentence
Woman in the Dunes or Woman of the Dunes (Japanese: 砂の女, Hepburn: Suna no Onna; lit. 'Sand Woman') is a 1964 Japanese drama film directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara and written by Kobo Abe.
Created By: Hiroshi Teshigahara, Article lead sentence
Woman in the Dunes or Woman of the Dunes (Japanese: 砂の女, Hepburn: Suna no Onna; lit. 'Sand Woman') is a 1964 Japanese drama film directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara and written by Kobo Abe.
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