Aiko Masubuchi is a film programmer, producer and translator based in New York and Tokyo.
Formerly the Senior Film Programmer at Japan Society in New York (2013-2018), she has since become independent and has also guest-programmed at theaters including the Museum of Modern Art, Anthology Film Archives and Film Forum. Her writings and interviews can be found in publications such as Mubi’s Notebook, Screen Slate and Film Comment.
She has translated writings by artists such as Haruki Murakami, Aki Onda and Anne Carson and has interpreted for filmmakers including Kazuo Hara, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Shinya Tsukamoto, actors Kirin Kiki, Joe Odagiri and poet Gozo Yoshimasu. She has subtitled films as part of her curatorial work and for hire for new releases. Her translation of a short story by counterculture icon, Izumi Suzuki was published by Verso Books in April 2021 as part of the collection Terminal Boredom.
She is the producer of the music video for “A Kind of Love Song” by Shuta Hasunuma and U-zhaan featuring Davendra Banhart and for the short film The Chicken shot on 16mm and directed by Neo Sora. The Chicken world premiered at the 2020 Locarno Film Festival and continues to screen at festivals worldwide. She is an alumnus of Rotterdam Lab in 2021 and IFFR Sessions 2020.
As a musician, Masubuchi has performed in without by Naama Tsabar at Frieze Art Fair, The Oral History of Female Drummers: Getting Louder at Mana Contemporary and Shin Gallery in New York. She was one of the founding members of now-dissolved Brooklyn band, Bodega Bay and released an LP Our Brand Could Be Your Life, reviewed by music sites including Tiny Mixtapes and PopMatters.
