A film by a Japanese woman about her search for justice from the non -cooperative authorities after declaring that she was raped is a candidate for the Oscars on Sunday. However, despite being the first complete documentary produced by a Japanese director still nominated for an Oscar, the film cannot be seen in his country of origin.
In the film, “Black Box Diaries”, journalist Shiori Ito tells the story of what happened to him after having declared that he was raped in a hotel by an eminent television journalist and the test she says that she had lived with the Japanese judicial system.
The film, which is in place for the best documentary feature film, was presented in January 2024 to the Sundance Film Festival. It was published in American theaters in October and can currently be seen or should be presented in more than 30 countries. However, these do not include Japan.
The Japanese subsidiary of a great streaming service refused to distribute the film in early 2024, the filmmakers said, and the theaters have so far expressed little interest to show it. The prospects for the release of the film became even more troubled in October when the former lawyers and other previous supporters of Ms. Ito, including the colleagues journalists, spoke out against her, saying that she had used images without the consent of people.
This is not the first time that Japan has decreased to show unflattering films that were well received in Hollywood. “The Cove”, a documentary on a dolphin hunt in the city of Taiji, and “Unbroken”, a feature film on a cruel treatment of allied prisoners during the Second World War, both opened at least a year after their first in the United States. “The Cove”, which was produced by an American director, won the Oscar for the best documentary functioning in 2010.
Ms. Ito says that “Black Box Diaries” is confronted with resistance, despite a Japanese director, because he highlights a subject normally kept in the shadows: how the legal system and society, more broadly, look unfavorably on women who present themselves to say that they have been sexually assaulted.
“This film does not only concern sexual violence. These are power, corruption and systemic problems, “said Ms. Ito. “I make a lot of uncomfortable people, that’s for sure.”
Ms. Ito, 35, is a polarizing figure since she manifested herself in 2017 to say that she was raped when she was unconscious by the Noriyuki Yamaguchi journalist after a consumption evening during dinner. Mr. Yamaguchi, who was the biographer of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, denied the accusations, and a criminal case was abandoned by prosecutors after two months.
Ms. Ito won civil action against him for damages in a decision that was confirmed by the Supreme Court of Japan.
The case made her a symbol of the #MeToo movement still underdeveloped Japan, while criticism accused her of grandeur to advance her career.
“There is a trend in Japanese society to avoid talking about hot button problems,” said Atsushi Funahashi, director. “I believe that this film should become a catalyst again to ensure that no woman should travel this kind of painful experience again.”
The stress of all attention seemed to be wreaking havoc on Mrs. Ito. On February 20, she canceled a press conference in Tokyo at the last minute, citing medical reasons. A limited projection of a version published by his film has also been deleted.
A group of lawyers, including those who had represented it in the civil trial, held their own press conference on the same day to repeat their concerns with the film. They said that “Black Box Diaries” uses the video and audio of a taxi driver, a police detective and one of the lawyers without the permission of these individuals.
They also criticized Ms. Ito for having included Images of herself being taken from a taxi by Mr. Yamaguchi when they arrived at the hotel. Images of a security camera were used without permission from the hotel, said lawyers, which demanded that and other scenes be deleted or considerably modified.
“I must now denounce someone I fought for so many years,” said one of the lawyers, Yoko Nishihiro. “How miserable it is.”
In a statement published after announcing her press conference, Ms. Ito apologized for having “caused damage” by not having obtained her consent and said that she was making a modified version of the film “to ensure that individuals cannot be identified”.
At the same time, there are scenes that Mrs. Ito and the film producers say they don’t want to cut. One of them is the images of the hotel’s security camera, which, according to Ms. Ito, was “the only visual proof of sexual assault”.
Eric Nyari, film producer, said they were trying to negotiate a version of the film that could tackle criticism of privacy while exposing what happened.
“There are certain areas where we respond to concerns,” said Nyari, “but there are certain areas where we think we are in the right and that we are not going to change.”
