Aromatic polyamide and composition for film formation containing same

An aromatic polyamide of a hyper-branched structure which is obtained by reacting benzenetricarboxylic acid or a derivative thereof with a diamine compound in the presence of a monofunctional substance (e.g., aniline) having one functional group reactive with the benzenetricarboxylic acid or derivative thereof, as shown, for example, by the scheme, and which has a weight-average molecular weight in terms of polystyrene as determined by gel permeation chromatography of 1,000-100,000. The aromatic polyamide retains heat resistance and transparency and further has excellent solubility in organic solvents.