Film description

A documentary showing the history of the pioneers of the feminist movement in Japan. Hisako Matsui, director and producer, talks to her peers, who, in the thunderous 60s and 70s, went out on the streets and fought for women's rights. The persons interviewed include the sociologist, Ueno Chizuko, who opened the first gender studies in Japan, and activist Mitsu Tanaka, author of one of the most important feminist manifestos.

The women talk about the difficult beginnings, the reality they had to face, and the unique sense of solidarity they were able to build. They point to the differences between the Japanese and western view on gender equality, and between the real fight on the streets and today's academic feminism. They also shed light on their own, often complicated, biographies, which show how challenging it was to put the idea into ever-day reality, and at the same time are a living example of the entanglements between the private and the political.

Jagoda Murczyńska