Im Reich der Sinne (OmU)

In the organizer's words:

In 1930s Japan, a young prostitute begins an affair with the owner of a brothel. Isolated from the outside world, the two give themselves over completely to boundless sexual desire. What begins as a secret romance quickly develops into a dangerous obsession in which the love games escalate into violence and pain. Their intense relationship leads them both down a dark path. The story sheds light on the dark facets of passion and power in a time of social upheaval.

In the Realm of the Senses is based on a true story about Abe Sada, which took place in Japan in 1936. Nagisa Ōshima shot the film in Tokyo, but had to send the footage to Paris for development and completion because no Japanese laboratory dared to touch it. When the film was shown at the 1976 Berlinale in Berlin, the public prosecutor's office confiscated the film immediately after the premiere as "hardcore pornography". It was the first time that a film had been confiscated by the public prosecutor's office at a major international festival. On March 17, 1977, however, the Berlin District Court came to the conclusion in its verdict that the film was not pornography. As a result, the film was released unabridged and received the rating "particularly valuable" from the Film Rating Board.