[KineJapan] Ito Shiori Marches On

[Markus Nornes]

> But on that note I think it's valuable to look outside of the Japanese context and think about the tone that HBO's Phoenix Rising series recently set -- in which Evan Rachel Wood and her co-producers hit back first and focused on documenting the process, knowing that they would probably be countersued.

In this case, Ito is literally suing people who supported her, not the perp. I didn’t write about that, but that’s what’s going on now. Here is an article about her suit against, of all people, journalist Mochizuki Isoku (who appears in Black Box, and was the center of Mori Tatsuya’s film). 

https://www.sankei.com/article/20250214-NGLQRLOBG5GGNOBJA54U3ERY7E/
伊藤詩織さん、監督映画巡る記事で東京新聞の望月記者を提訴「利己的な人との印象与えた」
sankei.com

Here is a quote from a statement by Nishihiro about watching the film the first time. Ito had promised to show her the film for vetting, but she didn’t; Nishihiro learned second-hand that it had been submitted to Sundance. And she saw it through a private university screening. It seems she had not been invited, so she just went. In her statement, she writes that at the screening...
I also learned that for several years, my phone conversations with Ms. Ito had been secretly recorded and filmed without my consent. Already reeling from the shock of hearing the recorded voices and seeing the images of the taxi driver and the investigators, this discovery was the final blow. At that moment, I felt utterly devastated. When the screening ended and the credits rolled in the darkness, I found myself unable to remain in the venue any longer and left hastily. As I waited for the elevator, Ms. Ito happened to pass by and said, "Sensei, let’s talk again soon," before hugging me. I stood frozen, allowing her to embrace me, and as soon as the elevator arrived, I exchanged a few meaningless words before leaving. At that moment, I didn’t even have the strength to reject her hug…I never could have imagined that the future would turn out this way. For eight and a half years, I devoted my time and energy, fighting desperately to protect her...But even more than that, the pain of having to now point out the wrongdoings of someone I had fought alongside and trusted for so many years is overwhelming...I ask that my recorded conversations not be used. I never consented to being recorded. Furthermore, the way the film presents our conversations creates a misleading impression that is inconsistent with my role in the legal proceedings. Above all, the selective editing distorts the process that I hold dear—"prioritizing the intentions of my clients." That, I find truly infuriating.

I quote this because it’s not often that the subject of non-consensual, hidden camera treatment has a voice. Notably, neither the cop nor the taxi driver is responding to journalists now. 
 
> Not that this is the same as using footage without consent, but it hints at a sense of a Hollywood-centered safe space where there might be a certain level of protection for those who speak out -- or the illusion of such. 

I wonder. I’ve read the books about the Weinstein reportage, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey’s She Said and Ronan Farrow’s Catch and Kill. I have also seen all of them speak here at Michigan. I didn’t sense any space was safe—even personal homes. More importantly, a huge proportion of those books is about the incredibly lengths the journalists went to protect their sources and secure unquestionably informed consent. 

Ito’s case is significantly different because she is both victim and journalist; however, does that mean the proprieties around protecting sources fall away? 

> I attended a screening in LA over the winter break with Itō present, and her response to someone asking why the film wasn't screening in Japan was "I wish I knew.” 

Sorry, I don’t believe this for a minute. I can immediately of three Japanese distributors who would LOVE to distribute this film, even if it had not been celebrated abroad or Oscar nominated. I’ve talked to one of them, who confirmed this.  The problem is the recklessness about consent, but that would be hard to admit in a festival Q and A—especially if you believe you’ve done nothing wrong.

Markus




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