THE WITCHES OF THE ORIENT

The women's volleyball team of the Nichibo textile company, or more precisely its spinning mill in Kaizuka, was to write sports history in the 1950s and 60s: Under the leadership of their coach Daimatsu Hirofumi, the young female workers and employees developed into the most internationally successful team of their era. Just how famous they were can be seen in Shibuya Nobuko's short documentary Chosen (1963), which focuses on the hard training, Daimatsu's indispensability and the women's will to perform. As a phenomenon, this team was famous - but who were these young women like team captain Kasai Masae or Miyamoto Emiko, the world's best attacker of her time? Icons and role models for more than half a century - the stuff from which women's sports manga culture blossomed, among other things. Until Julien Faraut - archivist of the 16mm collection of the INSEP (National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance) and director of essay films such as Regardneufsur Olympia 52 (2013) or L'Empire de la perfection (2018) - came along and wanted to know what the living players had to say about their history. Using a wide variety of material about the players then and now, Faraut collages a rousing and playful attempt at self-determination.