Matt Schley
February 2, 2022 
Some fans of Japanese cinema will probably already be familiar with Nikkatsu Roman Porno, a line of softcore adult films produced by studio Nikkatsu in the in the ‘70s and ‘80s. These films were made to entice people back to movie theaters after TV started to eat into box office sales by showing, y’know, stuff you couldn’t show on TV. And despite sex being the main attraction, many of the films actually had a surprising amount of artistry and helped launch the careers of quite a few Japanese directors.
Anyway, this is all to preface the news that one of the Roman Porno label’s most highly regarded films, The Oldest Profession (also known as Confidential: Secret Market), is headed to Venice in a new 4K restoration. This’ll be the first time a Roman Porno film is shown by one of Europe’s major film festivals.
The film was originally released in 1974 and directed by Noboru Tanaka, often considered one of the best Roman Porno directors. The film was shot in “the poorest districts of Osaka” and is “typical of [Tanaka’s] realistic-fantastic style,” according to film journalist Max Tessier.
Those in Venice will be able to catch the film on May 12 for a measly 6 Euros. Not bad!
Source: Email correspondence, Venice site
![Venice [Manga Review]](https://otakuusamagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/w-VENICE-2-480x360.jpg "Venice [Manga Review]")
