Black Box Diaries. 2024 Directed by Shiori Itō - Screening - Followed by a conversation with Shiori Itō

Journalist Shiori Itō turns the camera on herself in a breathtakingly courageous investigation of her own sexual assault, which resulted in a landmark case for the Me Too movement in Japan. From courtrooms to video diary entries, the film follows Itō’s 2017 court battle in real time, which is made all the more gripping by its palpable mix of journalistic acumen and harrowing trauma. Along the journey to bring Itō’s high-powered attacker to justice, Black Box Diaries also becomes an indictment of the legal system and social customs that actively thwart survivors of abuse. Ultimately more personal than the searing written memoir that sparked a historic reckoning in Japanese society, Itō’s film is a powerful experience of her pursuit of justice—and healing.

This film accompanies Doc Fortnight 2024: MoMA’s Festival of International Nonfiction Film and Media.

Black Box Diaries. 2024. Japan/USA/UK. Directed by Shiori Itō. New York premiere. In Japanese; English subtitles. 103 min.