Hafu (2013)

Directed by

Megumi Nishikura, Lara Perez Takagi

Genre

documentary film

Country

Japan

Runtime

1h 30m

Rating

6.8 of 10 from 5 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary follows several mixed-race Japanese people as they talk about their lives in Japan. They share stories of growing up, fitting in, and feeling different in a country that values homogeneity. The film explores their personal struggles and perspectives on identity.

introspectivepoignantcontemplativepersonaleye-openingquietinformativesincere

What happens

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 hāfu people share their experiences. 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. 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? The making of this documentary took 3 years of research, interviews and filming. It was completed in April 2013. The documentary is in Japanese with English subtitles and English with Japanese subtitles. Some protagonists talk in English. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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