Join the University of Iowa’s Center for Asian and Pacific Studies (CAPS) and the Japanese Program for a screening and discussion with acclaimed journalist and filmmaker Shiori Ito.
Film screening and Q&A
- Date & time: Thursday, October 23, 2025, from 7 to 10 p.m. (CDT)
- Location: Adler Journalism Building, room E105
Black Box Diaries follows director and journalist Ito’s courageous investigation of her own sexual assault and her improbable attempt to prosecute a high-profile offender. Unfolding like a thriller, the film combines secret investigative recordings, vérité shooting, and emotional first-person video to highlight the challenges of seeking justice in Japan’s judicial and societal systems. Ito’s quest becomes a landmark case in Japan, exposing the country’s desperately outdated judicial and societal systems. Ito will participate in a post-screening Q&A.
“The film is at once a display of how someone who is determined not to be silenced can start to change her society, and a devastating reminder of documentary film's ability to speak truth to powerful people and to show the world as it is,” said Kendall Heitzman, associate professor of Japanese literature and culture in the Department of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures of the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The film made history in 2025 as a nominee for Best Documentary Feature at the 97th Academy Awards, making Ito the first Japanese director ever honored in that category.
This event is co-sponsored by CAPS; the Japanese Program; the UI Center for Human Rights; the UI Department of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures; and the UI Department of Cinematic Arts.
About the Director
Shiori Ito is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on gender-based human rights issues. For her contribution to Japan’s #MeToo movement, she was listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2020. Black Box Diaries is her feature documentary debut.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Dongwang Liu in advance at 319-335-1305 or dongwang-liu@uiowa.edu.
International Programs (IP) at the University of Iowa (UI) is committed to enriching the global experience of UI students, faculty, staff, and the general public by leading efforts to promote internationally oriented teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement. IP provides support for international students and scholars, administers scholarships and assistance for students who study, intern, or do research abroad, and provides funding opportunities and grant-writing assistance for faculty engaged in international research. IP shares their stories through various media, and by hosting multiple public engagement activities each year.