Transform!
Tomoya Ishida
ABOUT
Body and body, people and people. What is the heart that connects different people?
A documentary of surprise and delight!
What is opened up when people with different perspectives form a relationship with each other?
The hottest film of 2021 is now available on THEATRE for ALL!
Director Tomoya Ishida, who lives in an electric wheelchair, began interviewing people with disabilities to explore "the possibility of expressive activities by people with disabilities. He interviewed Megumi Mizuki, a blind actor active in theater and recitation, and Shizue Sazawa, a performer who also focuses on training sign language expressionists for the deaf. He visited people who are bridging various "differences". The film production began with Ishida and the filming and recording staff. Through repeated dialogue, the way of making the film also changed.
Ishida's own mind and body also underwent a major turning point. Choreographer and dancer Osamu Jareo invited Ishida to join his on stage as a performer. While being confused and shaken, he opens up new possibilities for expression.
Basic information of the work
- Screening time
- 94min
- Language
- Japanese
- Fee
-
1,800 yen (tax included) / month 30,000 yen (tax included) / year * Other benefits are available
- Genre
- Documentary Film
Accessibility of this work
-
Audio guide
-
Sign language
-
Barrier-free subtitles
-
Subtitles
-
Multilingual
-
Dubbing
-
Artist’s original barrier-free version
-
Non-verbal
-
Friendly cinema screenings
POINT!
In order to express what Director Tomoya Ishida explored and grasped at theaters and other venues, “Japanese subtitles” were projected on the screen and “voice guidance” was played from speakers in the theater in addition to the sound of the film itself.
In the “THEATRE for ALL”, emphasis was placed on enhancing accessibility, allowing viewers to freely select and compare the films.
Entry in the "Marutto Minna de Cinema Festival"
Artist Profile
Tomoya Ishida
Born in Tokyo in 1997. Graduated from Rikkyo University, College of Contemporary Psychology, Department of Body Expression and Cinematic Arts and currently enrolled in the master’s program at the same university. When he was in junior high school, he was introduced to the iPad as a method of learning that suited him best, and his interest in filmmaking was sparked when he made a short film on the iPad. At university, he studied philosophy, photography, film, and body theory, and has been a member of a filmmaking seminar since his junior year. He is also a member of the executive committee of the “Barrier-Free Film Screening” volunteer circle, where he plans and organizes screenings. Currently, he is researching the changes in views of the body and disability that occur when people with disabilities are involved in the creative process. This is his first film as a director.
Message from artist / creator
I’m electric wheelchair user. In this film, I followed the artistic activities of physical disabled people who are different from myself. I wanted to know “how they express their thoughts around artistic activities. “
Deaf performer, Shizue Sazawa is working to convey the richness of expression that the “Japanese Sign Language” has to offer. Blind actor, Megumi Mizuki is working to create a “place that anyone can enjoy” for her audiences through stage performances and recitations. Their activities mediated by painting, music, film or art. I began to have a certain feeling. I wanted to express what “my body” sees, feels, and thinks of art.
Choreographer and dancer, Osamu Jareo dances with all kinds of bodies. He said, “Both ballerinas and wheelchair users have “interesting bodies”. I’d like to see you out of your wheelchair.” I participated in his dance project. My experience on stage was full of surprises, and uncertainty. I tumbled down to the stage floor. My legs unexpectedly stretched and widened in response to the lighting, sound, and the eyes of others. My body pleasantly flushed.
In the day, a roundtable discussion was held later with the entire cast of this film. It started with the words, “A blind person and a deaf person has the opportunity to talk with each other despite their mutual interest.” After the discussion, we went outside where the sky was blue, and a pleasant breeze blew. The impromptu performance, in which we felt each other’s bodies, was a magical time. I forgot my role as the director of this film, a disabled person, and my body was moving lightly.
One of the keywords is “barrier,” and depicts all kinds of barriers. The “barriers” that I had created for myself due to my disability are broken down when I listen to Sazawa and Mizuki, to join the dance performance by Jareo, and talks with the production staff. This film is about how filmmaking can change the way we look at our “bodies with disabilities”, and how it can lead to the discovery of something “interesting”. I also put into this film that it can be said about “anyone’s body.”
Credit
Director Tomoya Ishida
Producer Tomoya Ishida, Riho Fujiwara
Cinematography Megumi Honda
Editor Tomoya Ishida
Sound Riho Fujiwara