Japanese film to be screened publicly in Dayton for first time.

How to go

What: "The Most Beautiful" film screening

When: 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16

Where: South West Ohio Recreation and Defense school, 813 Leo St., Dayton

Admission: $10

More information:

(937) 223-5569;

The South West Ohio Recreation and Defense school will present the Dayton premier of “The Most Beautiful,” a 1944 film written and directed by famed filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, at 813 Leo St. in Dayton.

This marks the first time “The Most Beautiful” — a Japanese propaganda drama film that shows the struggle lens factory workers faced while trying to meet production targets during World War II — will be shown in a public venue in Dayton, according to a press release for the event. The film will be shown on a big screen.

A discussion with film historian and Dayton native Rick Martin about the history behind the film also will be part of the event. Martin has developed about nine film classes for Sinclair Community College.

Admission to the event will cost $10. Popcorn and soda will be provided, and other refreshments will be available for purchase.

Each month, S.W.O.R.D. will present a film by Kurosawa, along with a lecture by Martin. Each monthly screening typically will take place at 2 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month at the same location for a cost of $10. There also will be an option to purchase a package of admission to six months of film screenings at a reduced price, which has not yet been determined. Upcoming screenings include “Seven Samurai,” “Ikiru” and “Yojimbo.” This marks the first time in the Dayton area that all of Kurosawa’s 31 films will be screened in order for the public, according to the press release. Martin said he expects these screenings will continue monthly for the next four years.

2013 marks the 70th anniversary of the “first film solely directed” by Kurosawa, the first Japanese film director whose movies won major international awards outside of Japan following World War II, according to the press release. Many of Kurosawa’s films have been remade as westerns, including “The Magnificent Seven,” a 1960 American Western film based on Kurosawa’s 1954 film “Seven Samurai.” “Star Wars” is said to be an outer space retelling of Kurosawa’s 1958 film “The Hidden Fortress.” Kurosawa’s awards include an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Asian of the Century award posthumously from AsianWeek magazine and CNN.

“It’s an opportunity to see films by this very important filmmaker who was honored with the Lifetime Academy Award for this body of work and who has influenced many filmmakers all over the planet,” Martin said of the film screenings. “It’s a chance to see a movie that is very hard to find that has never been seen in the area.”

For more information, call S.W.O.R.D. at (937) 223-5569, or go to