In May 2017, 28-year-old aspiring journalist Shiori Ito goes public accusing her closest colleague and Prime Minister’s Shinzo Abe’s biographer for rape, feeling she has no choice if she is to change the outdated rape laws in Japan. Her press conference shocks the public, where such a move is considered a disgrace. In a couple of days, Shiori becomes the focal point of Japanese political life – the right see her as a threat to Abe’s government, while the left celebrate her as heroine for the same reason. Death threats, internet bullying and hate mail pull her into a downward spiral. When she takes civil action, the accused launches a total offensive against her. But decisive about not becoming a bad example to other victims, Shiori refuses to drop the case and publishes a book about her experience. Working with her most personal material as the director, Black Box Diaries records Shiori’s turbulent, emotionally draining and in the end, victorious journey, revealing the woman behind the front page. The victim and journalist exploring her own case at the same time, this documentary proves that Shiori did not only show courage in bringing about societal change, but also in staying alive.
Awards and festivals:
Sundance Film Festival (2024) – world premiere; CPH:DOX (2024) – Human Rights Award; Hong Kong International Film Festival (2024); Miami Film Festival (2024); SXSW Film Festival (2024); San Francisco International Film Festival (2024) – Special Jury Prize
Shiori Ito is a journalist, writer and documentarist. Her primary focus is gender aspect of the human rights. She co-founded Hanashi Films, a production house based in Tokyo and London, a collaborator of NHK, BBC and Al Jazeera. In 2017, Shiori published Black Box, based on her own experience of rape, exposing sexism in Japanese society and institutions, winning her the award of the Japanese Free Journalist Association branch for best journalistic work in 2018. The book has been translated in multiple languages. In 2020, she was listed among 100 most influential people in the world by the Time magazine. Black Box Diaries is her feature documentary debut.
