Gaea Girls
BBC Copyright 2000 - written and directed by Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams
A documentary about women’s pro wrestling in Japan and the girls who pass through its hard training in their quest to join the ranks of fully fledged women pro-wrestlers. Set at the Gaea Japan’s Training camp, young trainee Saika Takeuchi struggles to pass her final tests.
Cast - Chigusa Nagayo, Meiko Satomura, Saika Takeuchi
“This fascinating film follows the physically grueling and mentally exhausting training regimen of several young wanna-be GAEA GIRLS, a group of Japanese women wrestlers.
The idea of them may seem like a total oxymoron in a country where women are usually regarded as docile and subservient. However, in training and in the arena, the female wrestlers depicted in this film are just as violent as any member of the World Wrestling Federation, and the blood that’s drawn is very real indeed. One recruit, Takeuchi, endures ritual humiliation not seen on screen since the boot camp sequences of FULL METAL JACKET.
In DIVORCE IRANIAN STYLE, Kim Longinotto cinematically explored the previously unexplored world of the Tehran divorce courts. Working with co-director Jano Williams, Longinotto has been given access to shoot an insider’s verité account of this closely guarded universe.”
– Chicago Film Festival
