Hafu (film)

Hafu: The Mixed-Race Experience in Japan is a 2013 Japanese documentary film that explores the intricacies of mixed-race, ethnically half Japanese people called hāfu and their multicultural experiences in modern Japan. The film featured hafu people share their experiences.[2][3][4] Such as those who've lived their whole life in Japan. Or those who arrived later in life and others are in between. The contrast between Japanese and other cultures can be akin to two different worlds. It sheds light on what it is like to be multiracial and multicultural in a homogeneous Japan.[5] It seeks to answer the question what does it mean to be hāfu? What does it mean to be Japanese, and what does it mean for Japan?

Hafu
Film poster
Directed byMegumi Nishikura, Lara Perez Takagi
Produced by
  • Megumi Nishikura
  • Lara Perez Takagi
Written by
  • Marcia Yumi Lise
  • David Mitsuaki Yano
Starring
  • David Mitsuaki Yano
  • Gabriela Oi
  • Alex Oi
  • Sophia Fukunishi
  • Fusae Miyako
  • Tetsuya Oi
  • Sara Oi
  • Edward Yutaka Sumoto
Music byWinton White, Winchester Niitete Boye
Cinematography
Edited byAika Miyake
Production
company
  • Distribber
Distributed byPrime Video, Vimeo On Demand
Release date
  • April 5, 2013 (2013-04-05) (United States)
  • [1] ([1])
Running time
90 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageEnglish, Japanese

The making of this documentary took 3 years of research, interviews and filming. It was completed in April 2013.[6] The documentary is in Japanese with English subtitles and English with Japanese subtitles. Some protagonists talk in English.

Synopsis

An estimated 1 in 49 marriages are international marriages in Japan. The majority of international marriages are between Japanese and Chinese, Filipino or Korean people. The documentary follows the lives of five ethnic half-Japanese people. It is narrated by themselves, it includes interviews and cinéma vérité. David Mitsuaki Yano is Ghanaian and Japanese. He seeks to reconcile his mostly Japanese childhood with his mother's country Ghana. He wants to build a school in Ghana and thereby connects with his Japanese community. Sophia Fukunishi is half Australian and Japanese. She moved to Tokyo at 27 years old and has obstacles with trying to assimilate into a very different Japanese culture. The Mexican-Japanese Oi family with Gabriela, Alex, Tetsuya and Sara share the challenge of raising multi-lingual, multi-cultural children in Japan. The older son Alex has difficulty integrating into his school and suffers from bullying. Edward Yutaka Sumoto is Venezuelan and Japanese. He struggled with his hafu identity and the disconnect with Japanese culture. He now actively works to promote multicultural awareness in Japan. Fusae Miyako is Korean and Japanese. She can easily blend into Japanese society due to looking just like an average Japanese person. So she is not easily identified as hafu on the spot. Fusae was led to believe she was entirely Japanese until discovering otherwise in her mid-teens. As the personal stories are told of the five protagonists, it is discovered that they each have different personal experiences, struggles and accomplishments. There's also diversity among them due to factors such as family, relationships, education, appearance, language skills and upbringing.

Reception

The documentary had a generally positive reception.[6] On the online database IMDb the average score is 7.2/10 with 147 reviews.[7] On Prime Video it has 76 reviews with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.[1]

See also

References
  1. "Hafu". Netflix Media Center. Archived from the original on 2017-06-02. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  2. Shoji, Kaori (2013-10-03). "'Hafu'". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
  3. "HAFU: The Mixed-Race Experience in Japan | Directed, produced and shot by Megumi Nishikura and Lara Perez Takagi | Pacific Affairs". pacificaffairs.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
  4. Frischkorn, Bradford (2013-10-07). ""Hafu" Chronicles the Experience of Half-Japanese". WSJ. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
  5. "'Hafu'". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 2016-09-24. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  6. "HAFU Movie Review". Yokosonews. Archived from the original on 2019-08-22. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  7. "Hafu: The Mixed-Race Experience in Japan". IMDb. Archived from the original on 2017-02-11. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
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