“WHOLE” film screening at Sasakawa Peace Foundation

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.

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.

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.”