Tokyo Idols

A Fascinating Look at Sex & Gender in Japan

This festival favorite documentary gets at the heart of a cultural phenomenon driven by an obsession with young female sexuality and internet popularity.

This ever growing phenom is told through Rio, a bona fide "Tokyo Idol" who takes us on her journey to fame. We meet her "brothers", a group of adult middle aged male super fans who devote their lives to following her--in the virtual world and in real life.

With her provocative look into the Japanese pop music industry and its focus on traditional beauty ideals, filmmaker Kyoko Miyake confronts the nature of gender power dynamics at work. As the female idols become younger and younger, Miyake offers a critique on the veil of internet fame and the new terms of engagement that are now playing out IRL around the globe.

Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in World Cinema - Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. Nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

"TOKYO IDOLS gives a necessary platform to journalist Minori Kitahara, a vocal critic of how the idol movement protects male fantasies and the objectification of women..." - Sherilyn Connelly, SF Weekly