Abstract
Hafu is the unfolding journey of discovery into the intricacies of mixed-race Japanese and their multicultural experience in modern day Japan. The film follows the lives of five “hafus”–the Japanese term for people who are half-Japanese–as they explore what it means to be multiracial and multicultural in a nation that once proudly proclaimed itself as the mono-ethnic nation. For some of these hafus Japan is the only home they know, for some living in Japan is an entirely new experience, and others are caught somewhere between two different worlds.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, one in forty-nine babies born in Japan today are born into families with one non-Japanese parent. This newly emerging minority in Japan is under-documented and under-explored in both literature and media. Hafu: The Mixed Race Experience in Japan seeks to open this increasingly important dialogue. The film explores race, diversity, multiculturalism, nationality, and identity within the mixed-race community of Japan. And through this exploration, it seeks to answer the following questions: What does it mean to be hafu?; What does it mean to be Japanese?; and ultimately, What does all of this mean for Japan?
Narrated by the hafus themselves, along with candid interviews and cinéma vérité footage, the viewer is guided through a myriad of hafu experiences that are influenced by upbringing, family relationships, education, and even physical appearance. As the film interweaves five unique life stories, audiences discover the depth and diversity of hafu personal identities.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, one in forty-nine babies born in Japan today are born into families with one non-Japanese parent. This newly emerging minority in Japan is under-documented and under-explored in both literature and media. Hafu: The Mixed Race Experience in Japan seeks to open this increasingly important dialogue. The film explores race, diversity, multiculturalism, nationality, and identity within the mixed-race community of Japan. And through this exploration, it seeks to answer the following questions: What does it mean to be hafu?; What does it mean to be Japanese?; and ultimately, What does all of this mean for Japan?
Narrated by the hafus themselves, along with candid interviews and cinéma vérité footage, the viewer is guided through a myriad of hafu experiences that are influenced by upbringing, family relationships, education, and even physical appearance. As the film interweaves five unique life stories, audiences discover the depth and diversity of hafu personal identities.
Collection
Subject
Contributors
Nishikura, Megumi (Producer), Takagi, Lara Pérez (Producer), Spitzmiller, Jilann (Executive roducer), Miyake, Aika (Editor), Nishikura, Megumi (Cinematographer), Takagi, Lara PeÌrez (Cinematographer), White, Winton Yuichiro (Composer), Tanabe, Ken (Animator), Lise, Marcia Yumi (Writer), Lise, Marcia Yumi (Researcher), Yano, David Mitsuaki (Performer), Fukunishi, Sophia (Performer), Oi, Tetsuya (Performer), Oi, Gabriela (Performer), Oi, Alex (Performer), Oi, Sara (Performer), Sumoto, Edward Yutaka (Performer), Miyako, Fusae (Performer)
Duration
01:24:29 (HH:MM:SS)
Language:
English
Target or Intended Audience
Adult/Continuing Education, Higher Education
Copyright Holder
| Name | Camera News Inc DBA Third World Newsreel |
| Role | Producer |
| Telephone | 212-594-6417 |
| Address | 545 8th Avenue Suite 550 New York NY 10018 |
| [email protected] |
Copyright Date
2013-01-01
Rights Declaration:
This media is protected by copyright. You are free to view it but not download or remix it. Please contact the licensing institution for further information about how you may use this video.
Persistent/Share URL
https://54098.surd9.group/show.php?pid=njcore:83356
Basic LTI parameter
pid=njcore:83356
PID
njcore:83356
Metadata