【Selections from Film Entries】

Film Program

A selection of 11 films taken from films submitted from 19 countries.
The Audience Award will be given to the film that receives the most votes by members of the audience.

Bent

Director: Martina Bell

Selected Film A

2020/USA/American Sign Language, English/Japanese subtitles, English subtitles/2 mins/Suspense/
International premiere
A deaf college professor setting out his irregular behavior in his car, must confront his moral decision.

Mister Michel Director: Julien Bourges

Selected Film A

2018/France/French Sign Language, French/Japanese subtitles, English subtitles/17 mins/Human
Drama/Asia premiere
Taken from a true story in France, a nurse visits a retired patient, who sits watching television in his
home. However, she discovers that he is the victim of a terrible misjustice.

The Word Factory Director: Alexander Laferriere

Selected Film A

2019/USA/American Sign Language, English/Japanese subtitles, English subtitles/18 mins/Romantic
comedy/International premiere
Working at a factory that makes words, a man falls in love with a woman he can only see through a
glass window.

No choiceDirector: Hrysto

Selected Film A

2021/France/French Sign Language, French/Japanese subtitles, English subtitles/59 mins/Suspense/
World premiere
Hugo is a cabaret drag queen at "Chez Titi". With his sister Victoria, his faithful friend Matt, and all
the regulars of the famous cabaret at hand, Hugo takes to the stage for his latest number. Shortly
afterwards, a shocking murder is discovered.

Love X Bites Director: Yupar Momo, M. Noe

Scarlet Director: Mirko Scheit, Tobias Lehmann

Selected Film B

2019/Philippines/American Sign Language/Japanese subtitles, English subtitles/8 mins/Human
drama/International premiere
With a grim expression and a backpack on his back, a Deaf boy heads to school. But underneath,he struggles with a dilemma in his heart.

The Train Between Us Director: Hasna Mufidah, Mayang Irsan

Selected Film B

2019/Indonesia/Indonesian Sign Language, Indonesian/Japanese subtitles, English subtitles/10
mins/Romance/Japan premiere
A Deaf young man, has just gone through a painful breakup with his Hearing girlfriend. However, oldmemories are sparked when he meets her again on a train platform. The Train in Between Us tells thestory of the struggles of a relationship between the two world of the Deaf and Hearing.

Selected Film B

2020/Germany/German Sign Language/Japanese subtitles, English subtitles/14 mins/Horror
comedy/Asia premiere
Chris and Mary are in an unhappy relationship. In an effort to reignite their previous intimacy, Chris
makes a special online order one evening. However, it is the beginning of a descent into nightmare.
The combination of eroticism and horror takes the audience on an eclectic journey somewhere in
between reality and dreams. Rated R-15 *Not available to those under the age of 15.

image Director: Billy Jake Cortez

Selected Film B

2019/Philippines/Tagalog, English, American Sign Language, Filipino Sign Language/Japanesesubtitles, English subtitles/8 mins/Experimental/World premiere
Sophie, a young deaf painter goes online live and takes back her self with her paintings with deep
meaning on them. Rated R-15 *Not available to those under the age of 15.

A Sonic Pulse Director: Antoine Marinot, Dorothy Allen-Pickard
Quieter is louder Director: Kathleen Rae Gonzales

Selected Film B

2020/Myanmar/Burmese/Japanese subtitles, English subtitles/17 mins/Romance/Japan premiere
During the Covid-19 outbreak, two women quarantine at a hotel and share a room. One is deaf.
They communicate through text messages and body gestures. Soon, sexual tensions flare up and theyfind themselves unexpectedly in a passionate affair. Rated R-15 *Not available to those under theage of 15.

Selected Film B

2019/UK/British Sign Language, English/Japanese subtitles/English subtitles/7 mins/Documentary/
Asia premiere
A Sonic Pulse explores D/deaf people’s experience of electronic music from a visceral, communal
and scientific perspective.
meaning on them. Rated R-15 *Not available to those under the age of 15.

Selected Film B
Me, a Homeland within the HOMELAND Director: Ahmed Al-Samman
2021/Egypt/Arabic/Japanese subtitles, English subtitles/7 mins/Human drama/Asia premiere
A man commits a crime and is detained at a police station. Under interrogation from detectives, heopens up about his life.

In-person

Online : limited to Japan

Selected Film A 12/4 (Saturday) 17:35
Selected Film B 12/5 (Sunday) 18:45

Online streaming : worldwide

1st screening: 12/4 (Saturday) 10:30 JST (available for 72 h)
2nd screening: 12/7 (Tuesday) 21:00 JST (available for 72 h)
3rd screening: 12/8 (Wednesday) 17:00 JST (available for 72h)

Selected Film Director - Interview Online talk

※ Advance tickets ¥800, Same-day tickets ¥1000※The streaming URL will be announced on the festival site.

【Focus on Asia TDF】

Film Program

Preliminary screenings and initial Japan screenings of selected works from mainly Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Only I Can Hear

The Silent Forest

The Tanaka’s

Director: Itaru Matsui2021/Japan/American Sign Language, English,
Japanese Sign Language, Japanese/Japanesesubtitles, English subtitles/53 mins/Preliminary
screening/In-person

Director: Chen-Nien Ko
2020/Taiwan/Taiwan Sign Language,
Taiwanese/English subtitles, Japanese subtitles/
104 mins/Preliminary screening/In-person

Director: Eri Makihara
2021/Japan/Silent/Japanese Sign Language/
English subtitles, Japanese subtitles/60 mins/Worldpremiere/In-person

CODA(Children Of Deaf Adults) are children born to Deaf
parents. who experience the world of deafness at home, but
the hearing world outside. It is a stressful situation whenpeople outside regard them as “children of disabled
people”, however, they do not feel that they fit in the Deaf
world either because they can hear. This film, the first
feature-length documentary to cover CODA in the UnitedStates, follows three 15 year old CODA and how they findtheir path over the course of three years. Through depicting
the formation of self identities during this impressionable timein their lives, it reveals to us the unknown world of CODAs.
Won TOKYODOCS 2016 Grand Prize, Presented at
HOTDOCS2021.

Transferring to a deaf school, a young boy witnesses agirl being sexually assaulted by multiple schoolboys ona school bus. Though shocked, he is told by the leadperpetrator that what he saw was simply a “game”.
The film is Chen-Nien’s directorial debut, and is basedon an actual incident that happened in Taiwan.
Nominated for 8 categories at the 2020 Golden Horse
Film Festival and Awards, won Best New Actor Award,
Best Sound Award, and nominated for the 2021
Taiwan Film Critics Association Award.

In a house located in a corner of Tokyo, Mai Tanaka and hersister, Miho, live together with Miho’s husband, Keisuke. In
her repetitive daily life, Mai is asked by her family
repeatedly, “What are you going to do from now on?” Thefilm depicts the absurdity of the family in a silent 60 minutes.
Co-director of “Listen”, a film that questions what is the“music” of the Deaf, Eri Mahikara captures the complexity ofthis world in this follow up drama. Produced as part ofTraining, Sign Language & Art Project.

In-person 12/4 (Saturday) 15:25

In-person 12/5 (Sunday) 14:30

In-person 12/4 (Saturday) 12:30

Itaru Matsui (Director) - Meet and Greet

Mitsuo Itabashi (Actor) - Commentary

Eri Makihara (Director), and cast members Meet and Greet※Advance tickets ¥1500, Same day tickets ¥1700※Advance tickets ¥1500, Same day tickets ¥1700※Advance tickets ¥1300, Same day tickets ¥1500

Ginger & Honey Milk

Old Long Stay

BORI

Director: Mika Imai
2021/Japan/Japanese Sign Language, Japanese/
English subtitles, Japanese subtitles/60 mins/Worldpremiere/In-person

Director: Yuki Iiyama
2020/Japan/Japanese Sign Language, Japanese/
Japanese subtitles, English subtitles/170 mins/Inperson, online streaming worldwide

Director: Kim Jinyu
2018/South Korea/Korean Sign Language, Korean/
Japanese subtitles, English subtitles/110 mins/Asia
premiere/Online streaming limited to Japan"Maybe I’m gay” says Kento as they comes out to theirfriend, Rei. Amid a Covid-19 state of emergency imposedin April 2020, this human drama traces the lives of four
university students, both Deaf and hearing. Their joys andsorrows intersect in a complex four way relationship. This is
the long-awaited new work by the director of “Until
Rainbow Dawn followed”! Produced as part of Training,
Sign Language & Art Project.

Despite being born and raised in Japan, having paid taxes, andnaturalized, they are not able to receive the minimum guaranteed
pension. In March 2000, seven Deaf Zainichi-Koreans file suit in
the Kyoto District Court protesting unreasonable discriminationthat foreign nationals above a certain age and who have adisability are not able to receive disability pensions. Throughinterviews with the plaintiff and supporters, and past
documentaries, the director brings us face to face with historicaland political issues of “disability” and “ethnicity”. Produced andscreened at Yokohama Triennale 2020.

“I wanted to be a Deaf person.” - such is what Bori ponders.
Bori, an 11 year old girl, lives with her family in a seaside town.
However, of the four family members, only she is hearing andthe rest are deaf. Though she’s accustomed to speaking to her
friends at school, she struggles to tell her family about her
school day, and finds herself in this dilemma. Eventually, she
wonders why she is the only one who is different, andencounters feelings of loneliness. Won the 23rd Busan
International Film Festival Directors Guild of Korea Award, 24th
German Schlingel International Film Festival Audience Award &Chemnitz Award, and featured in various domestic and overseas
film festivals. The film is a story of the emotions and love forfamily from a CODA perspective.

In-person 12/5 (Sunday) 10:30

Yuki Iiyama (Director) - Meet and Greet

In-person 12/5 (Sunday) 16:35

Online : worldwide

Mika Imai (Director), and cast members - Meetand Greet

1st screening: 12/4 (Saturday) 10:30 JST(available for 72 h)
2nd screening: 12/7 (Tuesday) 21:00 JST (available for 72 h)
3rd screening: 12/9 (Thursday) 20:00 JST (available for 72 h)※Advance tickets ¥1300, Same day tickets ¥1500※ Advance tickets ¥1500, Same-day tickets ¥1700

Online : limited to Japan
1st screening: 12/4 (Saturday) 10:30 JST (available for 72 h)
2nd screening: 12/7 (Tuesday) 21:00 JST (available for 72 h)
3rd screening: 12/9 (Thursday) 20:00 JST (available for 72 h)※ Advance tickets ¥1500, Same-day tickets ¥1700※ Tickets available in limited quantities; distribution will conclude
when the capacity is reached.

【Short Features】

Film Program

3 different works focusing on social issues such as identity and racism experienced by different people.
The films will be screened with Japanese audio guides.

Feeling ThroughThis is Normal

Double Discrimination

Director: Doug Roland
2019/USA/American Sign Language, English/
Japanese subtitles, English subtitles, Japaneseaudio guide/19 mins/Japan premiere/In-person,
online streaming worldwide

Director: Ryan Welsh, Justin Giddings
2013/USA/American Sign Language, English/
Japanese subtitles, English subtitles, Japaneseaudio guide/20 mins/In-person, online streamingworldwide

Director: Rinkoo Barpaga
2014/United Kingdom/British Sign Language/
Japanese subtitles, English subtitles, Japaneseaudio guide/27 mins/In-person, online streamingworldwide

While walking through the streets of New York after a party,
a young boy has a chance encounter with DeafBlind man
asking for help. The two end up sticking together through thenight and an unexpected friendship develops. Nominated forthe 2021 Academy Award for Best Short Film, Marlee
Matlin, a Deaf actor who was cast as the leading role in“Children of a Lesser God”, is executive producer.

Growing up surrounded by hearing people, a young
woman, who can’t hear, struggles to fit into the Deaf
community. However, the film’s exploration of what is“normal” will find both supporters and detractors in theaudience. Adopting or rejecting the Deaf identity andthe conflict between, this short drama explores her
search for an identity to call her own.

Deaf director, Rinkoo, who is Asian, interviews members of
the Deaf community about their experience with racism.
Black and Asian Deaf people say they are targets of racism,
whereas white Deaf people say they have not seen such
racism. This short documentary confronts the hierarchy thatexists in Deaf society.

In-person 12/4 (Saturday) 10:30

To be screened after the opening ceremony, Audio guide screening

Online : worldwide

1st screening: 12/4 (Saturday) 10:30 JST (available for 72 h) 2nd screening: 12/7 (Tuesday) 21:00 JST (available for 72 h) 3rd screening: 12/9 (Thursday) 20:00 JST (available for 72 h)※ Advance tickets ¥1300, Same-day tickets ¥1500【Special Feature on Deaf Directors 】
5 films selections capture the complexity of the world from a Deaf perspective. From the unique eyes of the Deaf, we explore this world.

I quit, being "friends"
Director: Ayako Imamura
2020/Japan/Japanese Sign Language, Japanese/
English subtitles, Japanese subtitles/84 mins/Online
streaming worldwide

Silence on that Day

Until Rainbow Dawn followed

Director: Ayako Imamura
2021/Japan/Japanese Sign Language, Japanese/
English subtitles, Japanese subtitles/116 mins/Online
streaming worldwide

Director: Mika Imai
2018/Japan/Japanese Sign Language, Japanese/
English subtitles, Japanese subtitles/63 mins/Online
streaming worldwide

Due to Asperger’s, Ma-chan finds it tiring to be perceptive
to other people’s feelings and finds it hard to deal withpeople. Director Ayako Imamura, who is born deaf, showsan understanding face, but is inwardly conflicted. Whenthe relationship between the two becomes strained overtrivial things, the camera is turned, the director being
worried over who bears responsibility for the problem.
Screened at Aichi International Women’s Film Festival andNippon Connection Film Festival, Germany.

Nearly 10 years has passed since the documentary, “The Connecting
Bridge”, was announced in 2013 about Deaf people and the 2011 Tohoku
earthquake and tsunami. Immediately after the earthquake occurred,
Director Ayako Imamura, visiting Miyagi prefecture, was determined to let
people know about the situation of Deaf people living there. Since then,she has continued to visit Miyagi prefecture as well as other areas affectedby natural disasters such as the Kumamoto earthquake, West Japan
flooding, and more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic to record the plight of
the Deaf, and intends to do so until the day that everyone can live safely.
This film is a 10 year record of the Deaf and how they cope with natural
disasters.

Online : worldwide

Online : worldwide

Hana and Ayumi, both Deaf, meet at a sign language circle.
Attracted to the same sex for the first time, Hana decides tobegin a relationship with Ayumi, who is still unsure. However,when Hana tells her parents about the relationship, she isrejected by her mother. Despite Hana’s shock over her mother’s
attitude, Ayumi is persistent and invites her to a gathering of
Deaf LGBTQ. The people she meets, though grappling withtroubles of their own, are forward-looking and positive about the
future. Depicted by a Deaf director, in full sign language, this isa heart-warming tale of Deaf and LGBTQ intersectionality.

1st screening: 12/4 (Saturday) 10:30 JST (available for 72 h)
2nd screening: 12/7 (Tuesday) 21:00 JST (available for 72 h)
3rd screening: 12/9 (Thursday) 20:00 JST (available for 72 h)

1st screening: 12/4 (Saturday) 10:30 JST (available for 72 h)
2nd screening: 12/7 (Tuesday) 21:00 JST (available for 72 h)
3rd screening: 12/9 (Thursday) 20:00 JST (available for 72 h)※ Advance tickets ¥1000, Same-day tickets ¥1200※ Advance tickets ¥1000, Same-day tickets ¥1200

Ayako Imamura (Director) - Online talk - Online streaming ※The streaming URL will be announced on the festival site.

Online : worldwide
1st screening: 12/4 (Saturday) 10:30 JST(available for 72 h)
2nd screening: 12/7 (Tuesday) 21:00 JST (available for 72 h)
3rd screening: 12/9 (Thursday) 20:00 JST (available for 72 h)※ Advance tickets ¥1000, Same-day tickets ¥1200

【Special Screening Event】

Audism Unveiled
Director: Ben Bahan, H-Dirksen Bauman, FacundoMontenegro
2008/USA/American Sign Language, English/
Japanese subtitles, English subtitles/57 mins/
Online streaming limited to Japan

We were there…we are here
Production: Boğaziçi University - The SIGN-HUB
team
2020/Europe/Various sign languages/Japanesesubtitles, English subtitles/42 mins/Online
streaming worldwide

Audism, combining the words auditory and racism, refers to
the concept that being able to hear or doing things byhearing and speaking is superior, and doing otherwise isinferior. In 1988, Deaf students attending Gallaudet
University stage a protest, “Deaf President Now,”
demanding the election of a Deaf university president, and in
so doing, increasing public awareness of Audism for the firsttime. In this film, they recount their experiences of
oppression and discrimination that they have faced, bringing
to light the topic of Audism.

The SIGN-HUB project researches the history and sign
languages of the Deaf community in Europe, and thisfilm showcases interviews with several elderly Deaf
people. A variety of sign languages are represented,
including Catalan, French, German, Israeli, Italian,
Dutch, Spanish, and Turkish sign languages. Fromeach sign language community, the interviewer asks
about their personal stories, work, education, andmajor events that they have experienced.

Online : limited to Japan

Online : worldwide

1st screening: 12/4 (Saturday) 10:30 JST (available for 72 h)
2nd screening: 12/7 (Tuesday) 21:00 JST (available for 72 h)
3rd screening: 12/9 (Thursday) 20:00 JST(available for 72 h)

1st screening: 12/4 (Saturday) 10:30 JST (available for 72 h)
2nd screening: 12/7 (Tuesday) 21:00 JST (available for 72 h)
3rd screening: 12/9 (Thursday) 20:00 JST (available for 72 h)※ Advance tickets ¥1000, Same-day tickets ¥1200
Ben Bahan, H-Dirksen Bauman,(Directors) - Online talk - Online
streaming ※The streaming URL will be announced on thefestival site.

※ Free of charge

In order to promote the domestic film industry, we
have selected a film that we would like you towatch with Japanese subtitles. The film industry
this year has been abuzz with accolades for thisacclaimed, charming feature film about thebrilliance of youth.

Sasaki in My Mind
Director: Takuya Uchiyama
2020/Japan/Japanese/Japanese subtitles/119
mins/Online streaming limited to Japan

27 year old Yuji moves to Tokyo to pursue his dream of becoming
an actor, however he is not successful. One day, he reunites withhis high school classmate, Tada, and through exchanging
conversations, he recalls both the happy and bittersweet
memories of his high school days, as well as the charismatic
Sasaki and his friends. This poignant youth drama evokes thesense of being a hero that is in everyone’s hearts when they arein their 20’s. Acclaimed at the 33rd Tokyo International Film
Festival, and other domestic and overseas festivals, won the 20th
Kaneto Shindo Awards Silver prize, and other awards.

Online : limited to Japan
1st screening: 12/4 (Saturday) 10:30 JST (available for 72 h)
2nd screening: 12/7 (Tuesday) 21:00 JST (available for 72 h)
3rd screening: 12/9 (Thursday) 20:00 JST(available for 72 h)※ Advance tickets ¥1000, Same-day tickets ¥1200【Encore Screening 】
Past works screened at the Tokyo International Deaf Film Festival will be streamed online during the festival period.

Sound and Fury
Director: Josh Aronson
1999/USA/American Sign Language, English/Japanese subtitles, English subtitles/79 mins/Online
streaming limited to Japan

Sound and Fury: 6 Years Later
Director: Josh Aronson
2006/USA/American Sign Language, English/Japanese subtitles, English subtitles/29 mins/Online
streaming limited to Japan

Sign Language Time
Co-directors: Su Qing, Mina
2010/China/Chinese Sign Language, Chinese/Japanese subtitles, English subtitles, Simplified
Chinese subtitles/87 mins/Online streaming limited to Japan

Reverse Polarity
Director: Jules Dameron
2018/USA/American Sign Language, English/Japanese subtitles, English subtitles/43 mins/Online
streaming limited to Japan

Signing in Languages
Co-directors: Su Qing, Mina
2010/China/Chinese Sign Language, Chinese/Japanese subtitles, English subtitles, Simplified
Chinese subtitles/87 mins/Online streaming limited to Japan

I’ll Walk Towards You with the Eyes of a Deaf
Director: Laetitia Carton
2015/France/French, French Sign Language/Japanese subtitles/105 mins/Online streaming
limited to Japan

Cochlear implants are increasing the potential for people to recover from hearing loss. Should we use cochlear implants on
a young child with a hearing loss? Or should we accept them for who they are? This documentary follows two couples who
are forced to make this difficult choice. Through the lead up to the decision, it reflects the inherent conflict of opinions and the
feelings of the heart.

Set six years after “Sound and Fury,” this documentary is produced with support of Cochlear Implant Children’s Association.
The daughter, now nine years old and wearing a cochlear implant, is smooth and adept at navigating the world of thehearing, growing through lip reading and conversation. She will have two worlds - her parent’s world of the Deaf, and theworld of the hearing. What is the potential of cochlear implants after all? This work presents the realities of the Deaf world.

Following “White Tower”, screened at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, this documentary film focuseson the perspective of Fang Fang, a Deaf dancer, who has studied dancing since she was very young. It then follows thedaily lives of some of the 20 million Deaf across different generations who live in many different cities in across China.
Through their vivid and lively sign language, this movie portrays the social and cultural background of the Deaf such as
employment, education, crime, and marriage. China comes to life from the perspective of both directors; Su Qing, who has
Deaf siblings, and Mina, who focuses on photographing the lives of the Deaf.

Breaking up with his boyfriend, Chase is seeking a new romance when he meets mysterious matchmaker, Eight, who
promises him the connection of a soulmate. Eight finds the perfect match, but it is completely unexpected for Chase. The
surprising twist is a must see! This LGBT romantic comedy, aimed at Deaf adults, is a compilation of six episodes originallybroadcast on DPAN TV, that distributes videos for the Deaf. Rated R-18 *Not available to those under the age of 18.

Sign languages are diverse, and each has its own grammar and syntax, as well as richness and complexity. In thisdocumentary, the director challenges the uncharted territory of sign language. Studying some three generations of both
Deaf and hearing, researchers at the University of Haifa’s Sign Language Research Lab talk about the sign language thathas evolved in Israel over the last century. The director in this film continues to discuss humanity’s mother tongue,translations, and intergenerational transmissions, and invites the audience to broaden our recognition of human languages.

Director Laetitia Carton’s friend Vincent, who is deaf, dies suddenly. In her grief, she points the camera and spotlights theworld of the Deaf and sign language in France. Though society continues to suppress them, their frustrations, and bothfamilial love and conflict, as well as the realities of Deaf education are highlighted. This documentary, 10 years in themaking, evokes feelings of the heart in the Deaf. Exhibited at the Montreal World Film Festival, and other film festivals.

Online : : limited to Japan
1st screening: 12/4 JST(Saturday) 10:30 (available for 72 h) 2nd screening: 12/7 (Tuesday) 21:00 JST (available for 72 h) 3rd screening: 12/9 (Thursday) 20:00 JST (available for 72 h)※ Advance tickets ¥800, Same-day tickets ¥1000