Hafu: The Experiences of Mixed-Race Japanese Living in Japan
With the increasing movement of people between places in a transnational age, there are a growing number of mixed-race people in Japan. Some are visible, others not. This film portrays a journey of discovery, unfolding the intricacies of mixed-race Japanese and their multicultural experience in modern Japan. The film follows the lives of five hafus—the Japanese term for people who are half-Japanese. Living in Japan, they are are forced to explore what it means to be multiracial and multicultural in a society that proudly proclaims itself a monoethnic nation. For some of these hafus, Japan is the only home they know; for others, living in Japan is an entirely new experience, and still others are caught somewhere between two worlds. Ultimately, this film is a universal story of individuals longing to be accepted for who they are.