Media in the Movies: a journalism series presented by VTIFF and Seven Days in celebration of Seven Days’ 30th anniversary

Introduced by Dan Bolles, Seven Days culture coeditor

In this Oscar-nominated documentary, Shiori Itō directs a film about her own sexual assault at the hands of a politically connected friend of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and about the fallout from her very public accusation, which rocked Japanese society and changed Japan’s antiquated sexual-assault laws.

Within days of going public, Shiori was swept into the center of Japanese politics, viewed by the right as a threat to the established order and hailed by the left for the same reason. Death threats, cyberbullying and hate mail sent Shiori into a downward spiral. When she files a civil case, the accused rages all-out war against her. Determined not to set a bad example for other victims, Shiori pushed forward with her case and published a book about her experience.

Directed by herself with the most personal of material, Black Box Diaries captures Shiori’s tumultuous, heart-wrenching, and ultimately triumphant journey, going behind the headlines to reveal what it has been like to walk in her shoes. The documentary reveals the personal toll of a society’s web of politics, media, and technology on the humanity of its individuals. Being both victim and journalist investigating her own case, the documentary shows that what Shiori did was not only to create social change but ultimately to keep herself alive.