Documentary ワタシタチハニンゲンダ！We Are Human! by Chanyu Ko

​Director Chanyu Ko (see below for his brief bio and his first documentary) released his second documentary, We are Human! (ワタシタチハニンゲンダ!) Using the decades-old unjust policy forced on Korean descendants living in Japan as a background, this documentary exposes the abusive practice of Japan’s policy on undocumented people from multiple countries, including the Philippines, Brazil, India, Ghana, Iran, Nigeria, and Cambodia. At various immigration bureaus in Japan, many are faced with a violation of human rights and negligence, often resulting in death and trauma. Centered on the universal declaration of human rights, that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, this documentary lifts the voices of those who believe in and are fighting to protect this fundamental principle. The film is being played in theaters in Japan and will be played at the Pusan Peace Film Festival from Oct. 27–30.
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Director Chanyu Ko provided ESJF with a Vimeo URL so that interested people can watch this film for free. Contact Sung at sung@e4sjf.org if you’d like to view this documentary.
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About Director Chanyu Ko, 髙 賛侑
Chanyu Ko is a lecturer at Sonoda Women’s University, Director of Life Image Work, and an executive member of Freedom Journalist Club in Japan. Throughout his career in academia, Ko has published books on educational injustice based on racial discrimination. He decided to make his first documentary Korean Schools in Japan (アイたちの学校, 아이들의 학교, 2018) when, on Sept. 13, 2017, a Tokyo court ruled to deny tuition waivers to students at Korean high schools in Tokyo despite the fact that tuition waivers cover most high schools in the country. On Oct. 30, 2018, a Japanese high court finalized its ruling in favor of the Japanese government’s decision to exclude Korean schools from the tuition waiver program. Ko made this film hoping to raise awareness about state-organized educational discrimination in Japan.