Ema RYAN YAMAZAKI 山崎エマ

The Making Of A Japanese

Nippon Docs   ¾ 

Discipline and diligence, politeness and consideration – these virtues are valued highly in Japanese society and are instilled in children from a very young age. Ema RYAN YAMAZAKI accompanies elementary school students and teachers in a Tokyo suburb over the course of one year, providing an authentic insight into the Japanese education system.

Japan, USA, France, Finland 2023

99 minutes

Director
Ema RYAN YAMAZAKI

Cinematography
Kazuki KAKURAI

Music
Päivi TAKALA

World sales
Autlook Filmsales

About Ema RYAN YAMAZAKI
山崎エマ

Ema RYAN YAMAZAKI was born in Osaka to a British father and a Japanese mother in 1989. After graduating from New York University, she worked as an assistant for documentary filmmaker Sam POLLARD and began her career as a film editor. Her directorial debut was the feature-length documentary MONKEY BUSINESS: THE ADVENTURES OF CURIOUS GEORGE’S CREATORS (2017), which won the audience award at the Nantucket Film Festival. Her subsequent documentaries KOSHIEN: JAPAN’S FIELD OF DREAMS (2019 / NC ’21) and THE MAKING OF A JAPANESE (2023 / NC ’24) were screened at international film festivals.