The Witches of the Orient (2021)
Opening at July 9, 2021 on Film Forum and July 16 in theaters
“Les sorcières de l’Orient”
Documentary, Sport
The Witches of the Orient is documentary film directed and written by Julien Faraut. The film primiered at February 5, 2021 on International Film Festival Rotterdam.
How does a Japanese women’s volleyball team from the late 1950s become an international sensation, feminist role models, the subject of a wildly popular comic book, and a still-influential anime? This stranger-than-fiction story is dynamically told by Julien Faraut (John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection), with an ironic twist on the original demeaning moniker, Oriental Witches. A group of Osaka textile workers is transformed into a fiercely competitive volleyball team by their astonishingly ruthless coach whose unconventional techniques emphasize speed and aggression.
A record-setting winning streak and a dramatic 1964 Tokyo Olympics triumph follow. Wonderful archival footage of the women in training and on the court, animated versions of their championship games, and moving interviews with the women today are set to a pulsating electronic score. [FilmForum]
Director: Julien Faraut
Writer: Julien Faraut
Stars: Hirofumi Daimatsu, Yuko Fujimoto, Yuriko Handa, Sata Isobe, Masae Kasai, Maseko Kondo, Katsumi Matsumura, Yoshiko Matsumura, Emiko Miyamoto, Setsuko Sasaki, Ayano Shibuki, Yoko Shinozaki, Kinuko Tanida
►Cast
| Hirofumi Daimatsu | ► | Japanese Volleyball Coach |
| Yuko Fujimoto | ► | Japanese Volleyball Player |
| Yuriko Handa | ► | Japanese Volleyball Player |
| Sata Isobe | ► | Japanese Volleyball Player |
| Masae Kasai | ► | Japanese Volleyball Player |
| Maseko Kondo | ► | Japanese Volleyball Player |
| Katsumi Matsumura | ► | Japanese Volleyball Player |
| Yoshiko Matsumura | ► | Japanese Volleyball Player |
| Emiko Miyamoto | ► | Japanese Volleyball Player |
| Setsuko Sasaki | ► | Japanese Volleyball Player |
| Ayano Shibuki | ► | Japanese Volleyball Player |
| Yoko Shinozaki | ► | Japanese Volleyball Player |
| Kinuko Tanida | ► | Japanese Volleyball Player |