it was screened at the national film theatre in london in 1957. it is ozu's best known film in both the east and the west. after the success of akira kurosawa's "rashomon" at the 1951 venice film festival, japanese films began getting international distribution. however japanese film exporters considered ozu's work "too japanese" and unmarketable. it was not until the 1960s that ozu's films began to be screened in new york city at film festivals, museums, and theaters.