Film magazine Kinema Jumpo said Thursday that "Tasogare Seibei" ("The Twilight Samurai") topped its list of the 10 best Japanese films of 2002.
Kinema Jumpo said it will present the film with six awards, including best director for Yoji Yamada, best actor for Hiroyuki Sanada, and best actress for Rie Miyazawa, at an awards ceremony on Feb. 8 in Tokyo.
The epic film, based on a novel by Shuhei Fujisawa, tells the story of a samurai's toils at the end of the Edo Period as he raises his two daughters and cares for his aged mother after losing his wife.
Among the top 10 were "Keimusho no Naka" ("Inside the Prison"); "KT," a fictional account of the abduction of South Korean President Kim Dae Jung from a Tokyo hotel; "Out," a suspense drama about some women involved in covering up murder; and "Aiki," about a former boxer who struggles to overcome the aftermath of an accident that leaves him in a wheelchair.
The award for best foreign film went to "Road to Perdition," starring Tom Hanks and Paul Newman.