AKIKO SASAKI, Katsuben Artist Akiko Sasaki was born in Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture on 23rd February 1972, and graduated in liberal arts from Saitama University. Akiko worked as a newscaster for an evening news program at NHK Yamagata for 3 years. She then went freelance, serving as an announcer, reporter and narrator for TV and radio, as well as having many magazine articles published based upon the interviews she did. In 1999, while working as a radio narrator, Akiko encountered and fell in love with “katsuben”, a unique traditional Japanese art form of narration to silent movies. She debuted as a katsuben artist in 2001 and since then she has performed in some of Japan’s most prestigious festivals for classic films at venues such as The National Film Center of The National Museum of Modern Art, and The Film Culture Library in Hiroshima City. She has also had her own stages, providing katsuben narration to a number of major silent movie works of Yasujiro Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, D.W. Grifith, Charlie Chaplin, F.W. Murnau, Fritz Lang, Ernst Lubitsch etc. Her extensive repertoire includes more than 130 movie works ranging from historical dramas to animation films and including both serious and light-hearted movies. In the area of recitation, Akiko is also doing extensive activities in collaboration with philharmonic orchestras and many artists including players of Japanese traditional instruments. Both in katsuben and recitation, her warm, inviting style of narration, pure voice and ability to bring silent movies to life engages audiences and makes her performances popular wherever she goes. Festival participated in “Chaplin Film Festival”, “Tsumasaburo Bando’s 100th Anniversary Film Festival”, “Shinyuri Film Festival”, “Ayame Muzushima’s 100th Anniversary Festival”, “Yasujiro Ozu’s 100th Anniversary Special Feture”, “Special Feature for Torajiro Saito in Akita Comedy Film Festival ”, “Jokamachi Tsuruoka Historical Movies Festival”, “Kawasaki Digital Short Film Festival”, “Children’s Cinema at the National Film Center”, “Event at the Hiroshima Film Culture Library” etc. Agent: Y Planning Inc. Contact person: Yamazoe Address: 2-6-20-205 Shimoochiai, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 161-0033 Telephone & Fax: 03-3950-2289 Mail/yamazoe@mokuren.gr.jp The Art of Akiko Sasaki - http://www.mokuren.gr.jp/