A Journalist Turns the Camera on Herself in Black Box Diaries
21/10/2024
By Stephanie Ornelas
You would think that the word funny wouldn't be used at all when talking about a story as harrowing as Black Box Diaries, but director Shiori Ito tells her story with such class and bravery - that's just the kind of person she is.
In her documentary, which premiered at Prospector Square Theatre at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on January 20, Ito puts a lens on herself as she embarks on a bold investigation of her own sexual assault in an attempt to bring down her high-profile abuser.
This is a film about my own rape investigation, but it's comedy. And it was all her job, she says, pointing to editor Ema Ryan Yamazaki. We wouldn't have a film if it wasn't for this editor.
Yamazaki explains that Ito didn't have any memory of her recordings and didn't go back to listen to them or watch them. So, I sat for a few months and watched everything every day, just crying and being shocked. I thought, How would I even show this to her?' Yamazaki says. But she knew she had to, and that they needed to have a conversation about it. I'm glad I was able to help tell your story, she says to Ito.
Ito already had written a memoir back in 2017, and she was ready to take on the next project: a feature documentary. But what made her want to tell her story in this way?
We obviously knew the police weren't doing a great job, she says. They just [swept] everything under the rug. When I went public and saw the reaction of society, I saw how the media are not trying to cover it. And I said, 'Well let's just do the story. Why not?' So I decided to keep documenting.
Ito explains that the hardest part for her was post-production. As a journalist, it's so taboo to talk about my own story, and I didn't know how much emotion to put in.
When asked how she went about assembling her film team, Ito explains, [Producer] Hanna [Aqvilin] came as a human shield. If you want to make a controversial film, bring [someone who is] Swedish, she laughs with the audience.
When we first started this journey, it was before Me Too. So, imagine: She was one of the first to go public in Japan, chimes in Aqvilin. Listen, I'm Swedish, so I was a little bit shocked. And we just continued to film because we knew this was important. We didn't know if this was supposed to be a film because it was so hard. But you never ever hesitated, she says to Ito. You were so determined. You never gave up, ever. And I'm so proud and amazed that you are so brave.
Ito gave a nod to producer Eric Nyari: Every time we had a difficult night, Eric made sure that I had my three glasses of wine, she smiles. Without him, this wouldn't have happened, so thank you, Eric.
We went from boxed wine to natural wine, Nyari laughs, as does the audience.
This was clearly a serious film but as Yamazaki says, I mean she's so funny, right? It's unavoidable. There's so much incredible footage, but what was left was something I felt that the world has never seen before. There were things that made me laugh, maybe when I shouldn't have, but I watched it 100 times and it still makes me chuckle, especially when you get to know her as a person. It was impossible to make this film without those moments. Because as you see today, that's who she is. Serious films can be funny too. People are complex, and I think films can [also] be that way.
As the documentary progresses, viewers witness Ito's story become a landmark case in Japan, as she works to expose the country's outdated judicial system. And what helped her get through it was knowing that she had a community behind her.
Even my own community, my own family, my own circle of friends in Japan were not ready for this. But I knew that a place like Sundance exists. I always say there's another world who will always stand with you, who will always believe you.
To see more from the 2024 Festival, click here.
LINK: | https://www.sundance.org/blogs/a-journalist-turns-the-camera-on-hersel... |
See more stories from sundance |
Most recent headlines
09/12/2024
Dalet Named an IDC Innovator in Media and Entertainment
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced that it has been named an IDC Innovator in the IDC Innovators: ...
09/11/2024
Dalet Expands Leadership Team to Fuel Next Stage of Growth
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced three new members of its executive team. Tara Bryant joins as Chi...
22/10/2024
Comercio TV Chooses Broadpeak to Optimize OTT Video Delivery and Monetization
October 22, 2024 Comercio TV Chooses Broadpeak to Optimize OTT Video Delivery and Monetization CESSON-SEVIGNE, France - Oct. 22, 2024 - Broadpeak , a leadi...
22/10/2024
The Gauge: Mexico September 2024
In September, audiences in Mexico decreased their streaming usage by 1 point compared to the previous month, accounting for 21.5% of TV viewing. Disclaimer: YU...
22/10/2024
Disney Retakes Top Spot in Nielsen's Media Distributor Gauge as Football Hikes TV Viewing in September
FOX exhibits largest monthly gain as multiple NFL and NCAA football distributors...
22/10/2024
Fubo Unveils Standalone Premium Subscription Networks
NEW YORK Live sports TV streaming platform Fubo has launched standalone premium subscription services, the company said today....
22/10/2024
Sportradar Launches New Suite of NBA Fan-Engagement Solutions
NEW YORK & ST. GALLEN, Switzerland In the run-up to the start of the NBA season, Sportradar has introduced a new suite of innovative fan-engagement solutions to...
22/10/2024
Digital Domain Relaunches Advertising Experiences Group With New Hires
Digital Domain Relaunches Advertising Experiences Group With New Hires Brie Clayton October 22, 2024 0 Comments Digital Domain, a pioneer in visual ef...
22/10/2024
Hiroshi Okuyama Film My Sunshine Shot and Graded Using Blackmagic Design Products
Hiroshi Okuyama Film My Sunshine Shot and Graded Using Blackmagic Design Product...
22/10/2024
InnovateUK and EU Approve 1.2 Million in Funding for Immersive Technology from Disguise
InnovateUK and EU Approve £1.2 Million in Funding for Immersive Technology from ...
22/10/2024
Lauv Inspires Berklee Students with Authenticity and Chart-Topping Success
Lauv Inspires Berklee Students with Authenticity and Chart-Topping Success Pop sensation Lauv shares insights on creativity, vulnerability, and overcoming the...
22/10/2024
Applications Open for Next Jazz Legacy 2025 Cohort
Applications Open for Next Jazz Legacy 2025 Cohort Backed by a $1.25 million Mellon Foundation grant, the initiative from New Music USA and the Berklee Instit...
22/10/2024
This Rihanna Song Has Secret' '80s Easter Eggs
This Rihanna Song Has Secret' '80s Easter Eggs The SOS songwriter revealed a nostalgic twist to the lyrics, and it's going viral on TikTok. By...
22/10/2024
Broadcast Solutions aims to drive innovation with new CTO Office
The CTO Office has been tasked with the gradual introduction and integration of new technologies to improve the efficiency, reach and quality of media productio...
22/10/2024
Bally Sports Rebrands as FanDuel Sports Network
SOUTHPORT, Conn. and NEW YORK Diamond Sports Group and the online gaming company FanDuel have announced a wide-ranging long-term commercial partnership that wil...
22/10/2024
Roku Keeps 37% Share of North American Streaming Device Market
New research indicates that Roku remains the top connected TV (CTV) streaming device in North America, with a 37% share of the open programmatic ads sold on spe...
22/10/2024
S&P: TV-Station Advertising To Grow 14% to $24.95 Billion in 2024
The newly released S&P Global Market Intelligence Radio & TV Annual Outlook from Kagan finds some good news in this years ad-revenue outlook and some not-so-goo...
22/10/2024
ESPN To Bring Tech-Heavy TGL Golf to Primetime in 2025
BRISTOL, Conn. and PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. TGL, the new tech-infused golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's TMRW Sports in partnership with...
22/10/2024
NAB Expresses Concentration Concerns Over SES-Intelsat Merger
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters has filed a letter with the FCC expressing concerns about the impact the proposed merger between SES a...
22/10/2024
Michael Malone, Long-Time B+C' Editor and Reporter, Dies at 55
Michael Malone, a long-time reporter, editor and content director at Broadcasting+Cable, Multichannel News and NextTV, died Saturday (Oct. 19) at Memorial Sloan...
22/10/2024
Educational Cosmetic Procedure Live Streams Powered by Blackmagic Design
Educational Cosmetic Procedure Live Streams Powered by Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton October 21, 2024 0 Comments Elijah Zane Echeveste, an independen...
22/10/2024
FilmLight Colour Awards reveals 2024 nominees
FilmLight Colour Awards reveals 2024 nominees Brie Clayton October 21, 2024 0 Comments Jury selects 25 nominees across six categories - winners to be ...
22/10/2024
Title Rebuild with the Boris FX Suite: Kraven The Hunter
Title Rebuild with the Boris FX Suite: Kraven The Hunter Brie Clayton October 21, 2024 0 Comments Epic 3D Title Rebuild: Kraven The Hunter Title Anima...
22/10/2024
FilmLight Colour Awards: George Miller on Colour
The FilmLight Colour Awards 2024 jury recently gathered ahead of casting their final votes for this year's nominees. During the discussion, George Miller, 2...
22/10/2024
What Is Agentic AI?
AI chatbots use generative AI to provide responses based on a single interaction. A person makes a query and the chatbot uses natural language processing to rep...
22/10/2024
Maddie + Triggs begins Monday 21st October
Brand new series Maddie Triggs premieres on Monday 21st October at 11.10am on RT jr. 15 episodes will drop on RT Player at the same time. The series follows ...
22/10/2024
NVIDIA Brings Generative AI Tools, Simulation and Perception Workflows to ROS Developer Ecosystem
At ROSCon in Odense, one of Denmark's oldest cities and a hub of automation,...
21/10/2024
A Journalist Turns the Camera on Herself in Black Box Diaries
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 20: Hanna Avqilin, Shiori Ito, and Ema Ryan Yamazaki attend the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Black Box Diaries premiere at Prospector...
21/10/2024
NITV announces commissioning team appointments
NITV announces commissioning team appointments 21 October, 2024 Media releases NITV welcomes Dena Curtis as Head of Indigenous Commissioning and Production...
21/10/2024
Osher Gnsberg: A World of Pain premieres Thursday 21 November on SBS and SBS On Demand
Osher G nsberg: A World of Pain premieres Thursday 21 November on SBS and SBS On...
21/10/2024
Vizrt Taps Vanessa Walmsley as Chief Commercial Officer
BERGEN, Norway Vizrt, a provider of real-time graphics and live production solutions for content creators, has named Vanessa Walmsley as chief commercial office...
21/10/2024
Tegna Names Alex Tolston Chief Legal Officer
TYSONS, Va. Tegna has named Alex Tolston as senior vice president and chief legal officer. He'll also serve on the station group's leadership team, repo...
21/10/2024
Witbe Expands Automated Video Testing Support for MEA Pro...
Witbe, a worldwide leader in automated testing and monitoring technology for video service providers, today announced that the company is expanding its presence...
21/10/2024
Amagi and LeadStory Launch Personalized FAST News Channel...
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), today announced its collaboration with Samsung TV Plus and news pu...
21/10/2024
Amagis Cloud-Based Solutions Bring Skillshares Creative L...
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), today announced that Skillshare has chosen Amagi to be its partner...
21/10/2024
Black Box at Broadcast India Show 2024 Next-Gen IP KVM Wi...
Broadcast India Show 2024 Preview Oct. 17-19 Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai Booth #I8 At Broadcast India Show 2024 in Booth #I8, Black Box will showca...
21/10/2024
LYNX Technik PEC 1464 Next Generation Solution for 12G SD...
LYNX Technik, provider of modular signal processing solutions, has introduced the PEC 1464, a 12G-SDI, HDMI H.264/265 Streamer and Recorder. As the company'...
21/10/2024
XL8 Updates EventCAT Subscription Packages for Delivering...
XL8, a leading deep-tech startup specializing in AI-powered machine translation technology, today announces the launch of its updated EventCAT subscription pack...
21/10/2024
Vanessa Walmsley named Chief Commercial Officer for Vizrt
Vizrt, the leader in real-time graphics and live production solutions for content creators, today announces the appointment of Vanessa Walmsley as its Chief Com...
21/10/2024
Week 1 of the RE:Vision Effects 2024 Raffle at Creative Cow!
Week 1 of the RE:Vision Effects 2024 Raffle at Creative Cow! Brie Clayton October 21, 2024 0 Comments Two chances to win a RE:Vision Effects plug-in s...
21/10/2024
CBS Responds to Trump's Attacks on 60 Minutes'
CBS has responded to attacks against what critics have labeled the network's news distortion in editing its interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, t...
21/10/2024
Vanessa Walmsley new CCO at Vizrt
The appointment aims to further align the companys commercial teams, delivering greater value to customers, end users and partners, said Vizrt By Matthew Corri...
21/10/2024
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang to Spotlight Innovation at India's AI Summit
The NVIDIA AI Summit India, taking place October 23-25 at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, will bring together the brightest minds to explore how Indi...
21/10/2024
NVIDIA and Microsoft Give AI Startups a Double Dose of Acceleration
NVIDIA is expanding its collaboration with Microsoft to support global AI startups across industries - with an initial focus on healthcare and life sciences com...
21/10/2024
NVIDIA Works With Deloitte to Deploy Digital AI Agents for Healthcare
Ahead of a visit to the hospital for a surgical procedure, patients often have plenty of questions about what to expect - and can be plenty nervous. To help mi...
21/10/2024
Nasdaq Confirms VEON's Full Compliance Following its 2023 20-F Filing
21 Oct 2024 Nasdaq Confirms VEON's Full Compliance Following its 2023 20-F Filing Amsterdam and Dubai, 21 October 2024: VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON; Euronext A...
21/10/2024
VEON Commences its Delisting from Euronext Amsterdam to Consolidate its Trading on Nasdaq in New York
21 Oct 2024 VEON Commences its Delisting from Euronext Amsterdam to Consolidate...
21/10/2024
VEON Welcomes Letter from its Shareholder Shah Capital, Reiterates Commitment to Shareholder Value Creation
21 Oct 2024 VEON Welcomes Letter from its Shareholder Shah Capital, Reiterates ...
21/10/2024
Part of Pop Culture, Gaming Music Is More than Soundtracks for Videogames
Part of Pop Culture, Gaming Music Is More than Soundtracks for Videogames Soundtracks are streamed millions of times By Dan Daley, Audio Editor Monday, Octo...
21/10/2024
Meet Me in St. Louis: St. Louis Blues Partner With 4th Floor Creative, Germany's 2WEI for 2024-25 Intro Video
Meet Me in St. Louis: St. Louis Blues Partner With 4th Floor Creative, Germany...