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Strategic Dialogue and Exchange Program

“WHOLE” film screening at Sasakawa Peace Foundation

Director Bilal Kawazoe brings to light the struggles multiracial people face in Japan

By Sofia Emina Takahashi, Communications Officer


November 6, 2023
6 Min. Read
The cast shares the making of the film with the audience. (From left: KFC President Songil Kim, Director Bilal Kawazoe, Mr. Kai Sandy, and Mr. Usman Kawazoe)

The cast shares the making of the film with the audience. (From left: KFC President Songil Kim, Director Bilal Kawazoe, Mr. Kai Sandy, and Mr. Usman Kawazoe)

On October 17, 2023, the Asia and Middle East Program of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) organized a screening at the foundation for the Japanese film “WHOLE” in collaboration with the Kobe Foreigners Friendship Center (KFC). The film was directed by award-winning filmmaker Bilal Kawazoe, and starred Mr. Kawazoe’s younger brother, Usman Kawazoe, and actor Kai Sandy as Makoto and Haruki, two biracial men who were born and raised in Japan, sharing similar yet different viewpoints towards their identity and the struggles they face in Japanese society. Haruki returns to Japan after dropping out of college and bristles at being called hafu, a Japanese term to describe people with biracial heritage. On the other hand, Makoto works as a construction worker and gives off a carefree, easy-going persona, seemingly unbothered by the slightly offhand comments he occasionally receives. Despite these differences, they find companionship and understanding with each other as they start to develop a friendship. We see them deal with forms of microaggression and stereotyped behavior carried out by strangers, friends, and even family.

SPF Executive Director Itsu Adachi introduces several SPF initiatives that support better multicultural understanding in Asia and Japan.

SPF Executive Director Itsu Adachi introduces several SPF initiatives that support better multicultural understanding in Asia and Japan.

Senior Program Administrator Chelo Mori explains the program's various projects and their collaboration with KFC.

Senior Program Administrator Chelo Mori explains the program's various projects and their collaboration with KFC.

To kick off the screening event, SPF Executive Director Itsu Adachi gave opening remarks and reflected on the importance of creating an inclusive society for foreign residents in Japan. He shared with the audience that since 2008, SPF has conducted initiatives to support greater multicultural understanding in Asia, including efforts to better accept foreign workers and refugees in Japan and within Asia. “This movie poses some in-depth questions, and is perhaps something we encounter regularly. The movie confronts the serious issue of how Japanese people can change their perception [towards multiracial people living in Japan],” he said.

Next, Chelo Mori, senior program administrator of the Asia and Middle East Program, provided insight into the background of this screening event by outlining SPF’s project “Building Models towards Inclusive Society in Asia.” “In this era of diverse migration patterns, including permanent and circular migration, we aim to establish a model of self-help and mutual aid led by local communities and involving both public and private entities. Our goal is to create an inclusive society that welcomes foreign residents and workers by fostering collaboration between Asian countries sending and receiving migrants, while also sharing this self-help and mutual aid model,” she explained.

Director Bilal Kawazoe shares his inspiration behind "WHOLE."

Mr. Usman Kawazoe is glad he could create a realistic film about hafu people in Japan.

Mr. Usman Kawazoe is glad he could create a realistic film about hafu people in Japan.

The short movie of 45 minutes was played for the audience, followed by a discussion with the cast about the making of the film, memorable scenes, as well as a Q&A session with the audience. The dialogue was moderated by KFC President Songil Kim. He expressed his hope to the audience that after the dialogue with the cast, “everyone can all think of some ways to help young people with foreign roots who face stereotyped behaviors and microaggressions feel more comfortable in society.”
 
Regarding the making of the film, Director Bilal Kawazoe explained that one day his younger brother came to him and expressed his desire to make a film based on the identity crisis and experiences of mixed people living in Japan. “After doing some research, we realized that there weren’t a lot of movies available on this theme. We felt like we had a sense of duty, and so we started writing the script,” he explained.
 
Mr. Usman Kawazoe also described how he felt before making the film. “Living in Japan, I was wondering how I could voice my frustrations and thoughts, and since I’m not that great at communication, I thought I could just make a film about it instead. I had seen documentaries and films about hafu, but I felt I couldn’t relate so I wanted to make a film that was more realistic from my point of view.”

Mr. Sandy reflects on a memorable scene.

Mr. Sandy reflects on a memorable scene.

Switching gears, the cast shared some memorable moments throughout the film. For Mr. Sandy, it was a ramen shop scene in which an older customer pesters an annoyed Haruki with questions about his background, remarks that he can use chopsticks well, and mutters that there are a lot of gaijin today as Makoto enters the shop. “I think that people who look like they have foreign roots deal with this type of conversation every day. When this happens to me, I’m the opposite of Haruki and would joke or laugh it off. I was impressed by the conversation that I had as Haruki because it made me realize a different perspective on identity and multiculturalism.”

On the other hand, Director Kawazoe gave an insightful backstory behind the naming of the film, relating to why there are two scenes in which a moon appears. Apparently, “WHOLE” was not the original title. “As we were writing the screenplay, we temporarily put in something like hafu, but later changed it to ‘WHOLE.’ In this film, the moon is used as a symbol of what Haruki and Makoto are feeling. After making this film, we realized that the moon has various shapes depending on the time when you look up at the sky, but in fact, it is always whole, always intact. Just like identity is.”

Strategic Dialogue and Exchange Program
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