Ushiku

‘Ushiku’ takes viewers deep into the psychological and physical environment inhabited by foreign detainees in one of the largest immigration centres in Japan.

On the eve of Japan’s recent – and highly contentious – immigration reform efforts, the director bypasses the media blackout the government has imposed on its immigration centres, bringing viewers into immediate contact with the detainees, many of whom are refugees seeking asylum. Detainees are held indefinitely and subject to violent deportation attempts by Japanese authorities against a background of the ensuing COVID-19 pandemic and with the spectacle of the Tokyo Olympics looming on the immediate horizon.

With video message – after the film!

AWARDS:

• DMZ International Documentary Film Festival 2021 – Best Film;
• Nippon Connection Japanese Film Festival 2021 – Best Documentary
• CAMERA JAPAN Award (Audience Award) at the 2021 CAMERA JAPAN Festival

All images: © 2021 “Ushiku”