Hiroko KUMAGAI 熊谷博子
かづゑ的
Being Kazue
Nippon Docs ¾
Ill with leprosy, Kazue MIYAZAKI has been living since the age of ten in a sanatorium on the island of Nagashima – a place she describes as both paradise and hell. Despite her illness, she remains optimistic and has even found the love of her life in Nagashima. Hiroko KUMAGAI’s touching documentary portrays a person with impressive willpower.
About Hiroko KUMAGAI
熊谷博子
Hiroko KUMAGAI was born in Tokyo and studied at Waseda University. In 1975, she began shooting TV documentaries and in 1985, she became an independent filmmaker. Together with Noriaki TSUCHIMOTO, she directed the documentary AFGHAN SPRING in 1989. She is especially dedicated to social issues and history, as demonstrated by her films ECHOES FROM THE MIIKE MINE (2005) and THE WOMEN WHO EMBRACE MIIKE (2013), for which she has won several awards.