print   back 37 Stories About Leaving Home in Japanese & English, 52 minutes, 1996 In this award winning documentary, Shelly Silver presents an intimate portrait of a group of Japanese women ranging in age from 15 to 82, talking about their lives, families and society. In these stories one can begin to see, from very personal and individual perspectives, the societal changes that have occurred over the last three generations for women in Japan, bringing an exciting and often conflicting array of choices and positions. Many of the stories revolve around the relationships these grandmothers, mothers and daughters have with each other, filled with respect, rebellion, loss and love. Mixing childhood memories, frank statements, epic events and quotidian details; the film bears witness to the strength of these women and the difficulty of their choices, as they navigate between personal needs and familial and societal pressures. The interviews are framed by a traditional Japanese folktale; a magical and somewhat shocking narrative of a mother's search for her abducted daughter, kidnapped by a monster on the eve of her wedding. The Golden Dove for Best Long Form Documentary & The Ecumenical Prize for Best Documentary, The Leipzig International Documentary Film Festival, Germany "Subtle and insightful...highlighting the competing demands of tradition and personal freedom. Silver presents a remarkable portrait of a culture about to experience seismic social change." Steven Bode, National Film Theatre, London "A beautiful film." Margarethe von Trotta directed, shot, and edited by Shelly Silver music Lefdup & Lefdup. interpreters Abbie Beichman, Kirara Kawauchi, Shiomi Nozawa, Lisa Spalding voiceovers Yasuko Shimizu, Tracy Leipold mother's face Fusako Hasae, daughter's face Anne Hasae assistant editor Daiho Tsuruoko. editing assistant Yumiko Murakami on-Line editor A dam Fuster at Broadway Video through the Stand-By Program. sound mix Bill Seery at Mercer Street Sound subtitling Linda Hoaglund archival material The National Archives, Hiroko Murakami, Carl A. Kroch Library, Cornell University funded in part by The Japanese/U.S. Friendship Commission, The Japan Foundation selected exhibitions & screenings With Western Eyes, Japan Society, Rome, Italy; Portrait Gallery, The Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C.; We Are Someplace Else Already, Swiss Institute, NY; Just Watch, Shedhalle, Zurich, Switzerland; New Documentaries, The Museum of Modern Art, NY; The Venice Biennale, Italy & Sonnabend Gallery, NYC as part of Haim Steinbach's Installation Mothers, Daughters, Grandmothers; The National Film Theatre, London, England; L'Immagine E L'Oggetto,Museo Laboratorio di Arte Contemporanea, Rome, Italy; Pacific Film Archives, Berkeley, CA; Singapore International Film Festival; FemmeTotale Film Festival, Dortmund, Germany; Pesaro International Film Festival, Italy; San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival; MedienOperative, Berlin, Germany; experiMENTAL, Kino Xenix, Zurich, Switzerland; Image Forum Festival , Tokyo, Osaka, Japan; selected broadcasts Kunstkanaal/The Art Channel, The Netherlands page top