Japanese filmmaker and mixed-media artist Toshio Matsumoto directed only four feature films across his nearly 35-year career, the most celebrated of which was his first: Funeral Parade of Roses. Inspired by Oedipus Rex, Matsumoto's arthouse masterpiece is set in the underground gay bar scene of 1960s Tokyo, following the trials and tribulations of a trans hostess, Eddie (the androgynous icon Pîtâ), and her fellow queens. A product of the Japanese New Wave, the film pushes the boundaries of classic filmmaking, merging documentary elements and experimental techniques to create something audaciously singular.

Released: September 13, 1969