This special program gathers four movies that have been previously shown at the Tokyo International Deaf Film Festival. Gifted deaf filmmaker FUKAGAWA Katsuzo’s human drama Takibi is set in Tokyo in the 1970s; LISTEN explores the music of deaf people; The Tanaka Family portrays the absurdities involved in family life; and TOTA is a road movie that follows a blind Indian candle maker and a deaf Japanese dancer on their journey. Each of these movies represents an attempt to reinterpret the world through the experience of new concepts and ideas informed by the perception and sensitivity of individuals who depend on their visual senses. (MAKIHARA Eri)

Organized by a team of both deaf and hearing persons, the Tokyo International Deaf Film Festival has been introducing outstanding medium and feature length movies related to deafness in one way or another. It has been held biennially since 2017. The Tanaka Family is a movie that explores and discusses matters of “family” and the absurdities this involves, revolving around a woman, Tanaka Mai, who lives with her older sister and her husband in a house somewhere in Tokyo. One day, within her monotonous, repetitive daily routine, she finds herself confronted with her relatives’ inquiry: “So, what are you going to do from here?” The movie was realized as part of the “Training / Sign language / Art” project aimed to foster deaf and hearing-impaired creators.

Guest programmer: MAKIHARA Eri (Director of Tokyo International Deaf Film Festival, filmmaker)
Link program: Tokyo International Deaf Film Festival