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TOKYO KURDS

By Fumiari HYUGA

ARTICLE FILMS - as SALES All rights, World / PROD

Documentary - Completed 2021

In the 1990s, fearing persecution from the Turkish government, about 2,000 Kurdish refugees of Turkish nationality came to settle in a suburb of Tokyo. Here live Ozan (18), Ramazan (19) and Memet (38). This documentary focuses on these three young Kurds in Japan.

Festivals
& Awards

Jeonju Int'l FF 2022
International Competition Special Jury Award
TIDF 2022
Asian Competition
Nippon Connection 2022
Docs Award winner
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    • Year of production
    • 2021
    • Genres
    • Documentary, First film, Social issues
    • Countries
    • JAPAN
    • Languages
    • JAPANESE, KURDISH
    • Budget
    • 0.3 - 0.6 M$
    • Duration
    • 105 mn
    • Director(s)
    • Fumiari HYUGA
    • Producer(s)
    • Emi UEYAMA (ARTICLE FILMS)
    • Synopsis

    • In the 1990s, fearing persecution from the Turkish government, about 2,000 Kurdish refugees of Turkish nationality came to settle in a suburb of Tokyo. Here live Ohzan (18), Ramazan (19) and Ibrahim (22). This documentary focuses on these three young Kurds in Japan.
      Ten years ago, when he was ten years old, Ohzan fled together with his parents from frequent terror attacks and oppression of the Kurds. Now his Japanese is at a native level. But Japan is an ally of the Turkish government and does not recognize Turkish Kurds as refugees when they apply for refugee status. Ozan, who has a high level of Japanese ability, as well as his parents and his younger sister, who was born in Japan, are regarded as illegal immigrants. For the past three years Ohzan has been working at a job demolishing buildings and houses to help with the family finances, but doubts he can keep living this way indefinitely and is anxious about his uncertain future. Also, his father has been doing demolition work illegally for more than ten years. Ozan sees his own future in his father. Meanwhile, in their Turkish homeland, young Kurds are battling Islamic countries. Ozan, who lacks the courage to fight, feels helpless whenever he glimpses them on YouTube. He is irritated at not being able to find a place where he belongs. He sees no way out.
      Ozan has a friend he can confide in Ramazan, who has just graduated from high school. A youth with an easygoing personality, Ramazan always has a smile on his face. His friends in Japan are trying to find work and get into college; he also has a dream of becoming an interpreter. To do that, he needs to enter a vocational school for interpreters. The path to matriculation is hardly easy, however: He needs a letter of recommendation from his high school, certification of his Japanese ability and permission from the Immigration Bureau. He also needs to pay the school entrance fee and find a guarantor for payment of tuition fees.
      He passed the Japanese language proficiency test. When he received the letter of success, he stuck it on the wall of his room and his family was overjoyed. But he couldn’t take the entrance exam for the vocational school. His illegal status weighs on him.
      Ohzan’s cousin Ibrahim was held for a total of two years in the Immigration Bureau’s detention center. While in detention, he repeatedly attempted suicide out of stress and hopelessness. He cut his wrists, neck, arms, and stomach with a knife in ten places and his bed was covered with blood. He suffered a mental breakdown. After his release, he started a new life with his Japanese wife, but there is no change in his illegal status and his suffering has no end.
      As the film notes, among advanced countries Japan is the strictest in granting refugee status. Last year nearly 10,000 people applied to be recognized as refugees. This was down about 47 percent or 9,000 from the previous year’s total.
    • Beginning of shooting
    • Jan 01, 2017
    • End of shooting
    • Jan 15, 2021
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