Of Love and Law + Q&A with Director Hikaru Toda CTBA

From the archive

This film was last shown on 25 February 2019

This fascinating and eye-opening documentary follows the work of the first law firm in Japan set up by an openly gay couple, Fumi and Kazu. Partners in love and law, the pair are driven by their own experience of being outsiders, and they attract a range of clients who reveal the hidden diversity of a country that prides itself for collective obedience, politeness and conformity.

Tired of being silenced and made to feel invisible, the lawyers and their misfit clients expose and challenge the archaic status quo that deems them second-class citizens. With the backdrop of civil liberties under attack, the film poses universal questions about what it takes to be an individual, what it means to be a minority, and what role a family plays in our increasingly polarised world.

Spanning several years and exploring the internationally relevant need to challenge the status quo, Hikaru Toda’s film exposes a nation in flux as it is forced to adjust to the existence of hidden diversities and hear their increasingly louder calls for visibility.

This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Hikaru Toda.

This film is part of the Japan Now North strand of the Japan Foundation Touring Programme.

http://ofloveandlaw.com/

Photos by Hakawati.