New documentary about a Chinese school in Japan, ‘Chukagakko no Kodomotachi’

Coinciding the recently-concluded Beijing Olympics, the 150-year anniversary of the opening of the port of Yokohama coming up in 2009, and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, China and Yokohama have their own significant milestone. 100 years ago the first elementary school for the children of Chinese immigrants was established in Japan. Currently there are 5 of these Chinese schools throughout all of Japan, and two of them are located in Yokohama. Working with a grant from the Fund For the Promotion of Art and Culture, Nozomi Kataka filmed students at a Yamate Chinese School in Yokohama for 3 years, starting with their first day in elementary school. The end result is the documentary, Chukogakko no Kodomotachi (The Kids of Chinese School).

Through interviews with school administrators and some historical context to go along with the classroom footage, the film shows that the children and grandchildren of Chinese immigrants who suffered through historical events like the Second Sino-Japanese War and Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution now spend their days safely in Chinese school, unscarred by any of that history.

Trailer:

“Chukagakko no Kodomotachi” opens in Japan on November 22, 2008 at Yokohama New Theater with an eventual roadshow to follow.

Sources:
Official website
Cinema Topics Online

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Tags: elementary school, nozomo kataka