In the Beginning, Woman Was the Sun

This experimental film is a personal homage to Japanese suffragettes and feminists, and to the sun thatshines within. A seminal quote is a source of inspiration: “In the beginning, woman was truly the sun. A true person. Now, woman is the moon. Living dependent on others, reflecting their brilliance. She has the moon’s face, and its unhealthy pallor. And now, she must restore her hidden sun.” (RaichoHiratsuka, 1911). This piece was commissioned for the 60th anniversary of the Goethe Institute Tokyo, an anniversary that coincided with the Japanese New Wave and the Oberhausen Manifestos. Asked to take account of what these manifestos may mean seen from a perspective today, I decided to focus on women, as they were underrepresented in both contexts; and the
piece turned into a personal homage to Japanese suffragettes and feminists. It is an acknowledgement and appreciation of their struggles, past and present, to strive to create a more
equal society.