The exclusive trailer for Noboru Tanaka’s newly restored film The Oldest Profession highlights sex work in Japan during the 1970s.

      Following the success of Sean Baker’s sex work dramedy Anora, which received top accolades at the Oscars last week, a classic Japanese film by Roman Porno master director Noboru Tanaka that delves into the profession has been restored and is set for a U.S. release. The Oldest Profession (also known as Confidential Report: Sex Market or Secret Chronicle: She Beast Market) has been restored in 4K from the original 35mm master negative by NIKKATSU Corporation, completed at Cineric in New York and Lisbon. The film offers a stark portrayal of the realities of sex work in 1970s Japan. As we prepare for theatrical screenings at NYC’s Metrograph on March 28 and 30, along with Film Movement’s digital release on April 4, we are excited to exclusively present the new trailer.

      The synopsis is as follows: “19-year-old Tome is a sex worker who attracts customers in Osaka’s red-light district. She resides with her mentally disabled younger brother, Saneo, and her mother, Yone, who continues to work as a sex worker despite being over 40. One day, after receiving a request for a young girl, Tome arrives at the specified inn, where she finds Yone struggling to secure work. A few days later, Yone reveals to Tome that she is pregnant... It has been 20 years since the Prostitution Prevention Law was enacted, resulting in the disappearance of the red-light district. Still, sex work endures as a profession. Noboru Tanaka’s provocative film (also referred to as ‘Lusty Beast Market’) depicts sorrowful yet strong and resilient women who have no other option but to make a living by selling their bodies.”

      Watch the trailer below for the film featuring Meika Seri, Genshu Hanayagi, Shiro Yumemura, Moeko Ezawa, Junko Miyashita, and Sakumi Hagiwara.