Black Box Diaries
Shiori Ito, a young journalist becomes the story after revealing the sexual assault at the hands of one of Japan’s most influential men. Ito’s rape allegations are dismissed by Japan’s justice system, which operates under long outdated laws, but she decides to go to court in a demand for justice. She risks her livelihood and her life by speaking out and has to face public criticism and threats. Ito's courage to speak up resulted in a landmark, historic case in Japan. From courtrooms to video diary entries, the film follows Ito’s years-long struggle in real time against Japanese cultural norms that subjugate women – and her journey to healing.
Shiori Ito is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. Her primary focus is gender-based human rights issues. In 2020, Time magazine listed her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Her debut feature-length documentary film, Black Box Diaries was officially selected for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and will be released worldwide in late 2024. In 2017, she wrote the book Black Box, based upon her own experience of rape. The book reveals the sexism in Japan’s society and institutions. She won the Free Press Association of Japan Award for Best Journalism in 2018 and the One Young World Journalist of the Year 2022.
