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The Witches of the Orient

The Witches of the Orient

A film by Julien Faraut

How did a group of humble factory workers become a phenomenal sports success story and the pride of an entire nation? Julian Faraut’s (John McEnroe: In The Realm of Perfection) ferociously innovative and visually stunning The Witches of the Orient tells the tale of the Japanese women’s volleyball team’s thrilling rise, unbelievable 258 games winning streak, and eventual Olympic gold at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

United by their jobs in a textile factory, the Japanese women’s volleyball team chased absolute perfection under the guidance of their grueling coach Hirofumi Daimatsu. His methods were so tough that in Japan, he was known as “the Demon,” with his intense, endless practice sessions,  shaping the team into a force to be reckoned with. While the west viewed Japan as an alien upstart in the postwar years, it didn’t prevent the team from striking fear in the hearts of their competitors, earning them the racist and dismissive moniker “oriental witches.” Less an underdog tale than a saga of overwhelming determination that simultaneously subverts and feeds an orientalized mystique, The Witches of the Orient conjures the tenor and tone of the team’s grip on the imagination of an entire nation seeking renewal and acceptance on the world stage of the post-war era.

Faraut’s sparkling documentary uses fantastic manga and anime sequences, such as Attack no 1 (1968), with archival footage of blood-curdling matches, intense training sessions (driven by rhythmic editing and great music from French musician K-Raw) with testimony from the now-octogenarian teammates. The result charts the Witches’ meteoric rise without losing their overwhelmingly vital spirit. The joy of the Witches’ success is infectious and offers a hopeful prelude to the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Home Media


DVD
SRP: $29.95
Our Price: $17.97

 

 

Digital

A film noir that’s so vintage it comes wrapped in crackling celluloid and old cassette tapes. Written and directed by Wei Shujun, the movie is a puzzle-like homage to the noir genre itself, with echoes of Jean-Pierre Melville, Chinatown, and Memories of Murder.

- The Hollywood Reporter

An enigmatic, progressively more engrossing noir directed by Wei Shujun, structurally inventive, if not downright format-twisting. The cinematography is genuinely star-making.

- Screen International

Wei Shujun’s inventive riff on Asian-noir gives the expanding subgenre something its Chinese contributions often lack: a pitch-black sense of humor. Humanizing quirks and flourishes abound, providing profundity to this touchingly melancholic portrait of small-town desperation.”

- Variety

"Slow" announces Kavtaradze as a director with keen insight into human psychology and a true knack for working with actors.

- ROGEREBERT.COM

Slow is a subtle but impactful film. Moving and beautiful.

- FILM INQUIRY

It’s stirring and moving at every turn.

- VOX

Play Dates
TicketTheater/FestivalCityStateDateVirtual / In Theater
BUY TICKETSAustin Film SocietyAustinTX7/16/21In Theater
Boedecker Theater BoulderCO8/11/2021In Theater
BUY TICKETSFilm ForumNew YorkNY7/9/21In Theater
Guild Cinema AlbuquerqueNM8/2/21In Theater
BUY TICKETSLaemmle Theatre RoyalLos AngelesCA7/16/21In Theater
BUY TICKETSSyndicatedBrooklynNY7/16/21In Theater
Olympia Film SocietyOlympiaWA9/24/21In Theater
Oklahoma City Museum of ArtOklahoma CityOK7/30/21In Theater
BUY TICKETSa/pertureWinston-SalemNC7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSAlexander Valley Film SocietyHealdsburgCA7/16/21Virtual
Amherst CinemaAmherstMA7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSBrattle TheatreCambridgeMA7/16/21Virtual
Bryn Mawr Film InstituteBryn MawrPA7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSCinema Lamont DetroitMI7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSCleveland CinemathequeClevelandOH7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSDetroit Institute of ArtsDetroitMI7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSDowning Film CenterNewburghNY7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSEpsilon SpiresBrattleboroVA7/16/21Virtual
Gold Town NickelodeonJuneauAK7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSGrail MoviehouseAshevilleNC7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSGrand CinemaTacomaWA7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSKiggins TheatreVancouverWA7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSLaemmle Virtual TheatreLos AngelesCA7/16/21Virtual
Landmark CinemasPeoriaIL7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSLightbox Film CenterPhiladelphiaPA7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSLoft CinemaTucsonAZ7/16/21Virtual
Middleburg Film FestivalMiddleburgVA7/16/21Virtual
Montclair Film MontclairNJ7/16/21Virtual
Neptune Movie HouseLong BeachWA7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSOklahoma City Museum of ArtOklahoma CityOK 7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSRose TheatrePort TownsendWA7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSRoxie TheatreSan FranciscoCA7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSSalt Lake Film SocietySalt Lake CityUT7/16/21Virtual
SIE Film CenterDenverCO7/23/21Virtual
The Cinematheque
VancouverB.C. Canada7/16/21Virtual
Webster Film SeriesSt. LouisMO7/16/21Virtual
BUY TICKETSRow House Cinema PittsburghPA7/30/21Virtual
Jane PickensNewportRI7/16/21Virtual
About the Director

Having worked with the French Sports Institute (INSEP) for 15 years, Julien has had access to a large and mostly unseen collection of 16mm archival footage, aiming to bridge the connections between sport, cinema and art. With a fascination for the incredible achievements of highly skilled athletes, Julien’s portfolio of work explores these unique and astonishing human beings through the medium of film.

 

Filmography:

MEMOIRE D’ENTRAINEUR, series 10 x 30 minutes, 2003-2009

PARIS JEUX T’AIME, 60 minutes, 2004

LA CREATIVITE DU VIDE, 10 minutes, 2006

PERSPECTIVES RUGBYSTIQUES, video installation, 10 minutes, 2007

APPARITIONS, 10 minutes, 2008

UNE SEULE FOIS, 26 minutes, 2009

PHRASES D’ARMES, 20 minutes, 2010

TABLEAUX NOIR ECRAN LUMINEUX, 5 minutes, 2011

REGARD NEUF SUR OLYMPIA 52, 80 minutes, 2013

ENTRAINEMENT, 7 minutes, 2014

JJBALLET, 8 minutes, 2015

L’EMPIRE DE LA PERFECTION (aka IN THE REALM OF PERFECTION) 90 minutes, 2018

LES SORCIERES DE L’ORIENT(aka THE WITCHES OF THE ORIENT) 100 minutes, 2021

Cast and Crew

CREW

Director: Julien Faraut
Production: William Jenannin for UFO Production
Co-production: INSEP
Image: Yukata Yamazaki
Editing: Andrei Bogdanov
Sound: Leon Rousseau
Music: JASON LYTLE, K-RAW
Screenplay: Julien Faraut

Film Info

Year: 2021

Country: France

Runtime: 100 min

Color: Color

Language: Japanese and French

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 

Sound: 

Awards and Festivals

International Film Festival Rotterdam 2021 – Big Screen Competition

FIPADOC 2021 – Compétition

Doc Fortnight MoMA

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