Japan won the 2011 Asia- Pacific Child Rights Award for broadcasting.
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Iori and Ibuki – Why We Were Born by Shizuoka Telecasting of Japan was named the winner of the award on 2 November in Hong Kong during the CASBAA Convention.
The Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award, created by CASBAA, ABU and UNICEF in 2001, is given annually to the best television programme with a focus on children’s rights produced in the Asia-Pacific region. Nearly 50 entries from Asia-Pacific countries were received for this year’s competition.
For the winning entry, Shizuoka Telecasting of Japan spent 11 years tracking the lives of siblings who were each born with a disability.
documentary about the lives of two disabled children in
‘Iori and Ibuki’ wins Child Rights Award
The documentary was praised by the Child Rights Award jurors for its tremendous sensitivity while gaining access to a family and their daily lives for more than a decade.
“CASBAA congratulates Shizuoka Telecasting for creating an inspiring and compelling documentary on children triumphing over disability,” said Simon Twiston Davies, CEO of CASBAA.
Iori is blind while her younger brother, Ibuki, was born both physically and mentally impaired.
The story is a compelling tale of resilience and optimism as Ibuki’s deter- mination is ultimately a source of strength for his sister and parents. It also gives them an appreciation for their own strengths as well as the understanding that everyone has a purpose in life.
Mariko Hashimoto, the producer of Iori and Ibuki – Why We Were Born, said: “In Japan, children with disabilities tend to be bullied. Many have to live in isolation. They face a lack of nursing, schooling and service facilities.
“I believe that today’s society, in which disabled people are obliged to live ‘secretly’, must be changed. I long for a society free from discrimination against the disabled.”
“Part of our association’s mission is to ensure that we provide a platform for all industry organisations to harness their collective resources and to give back to the communities in which we all operate.”
“By giving children with special needs the skills needed to grow, we can encourage and inspire success,” said Javad Mottaghi, Secretary- General of the Asia- Pacific Broadcasting Union.
Kazuaki Matsushita, The Shodo Girls, Nankai Broadcasting Co (NAB) Winner in the TV Youth category
It is a great honour to re- ceive an ABU Prize and it will spur me on. I am very happy that my programme, which depicts high school girls, garnered such high regard. It indicates that the girls’ passion aroused an emotion so strong that it has struck a chord with an international jury.
Shodo, the Japanese art of calligraphy, had lost its popularity over time. Ten
years ago, a group of high school girls turned Shodo into a performance art. Since then, the passion for this form has caught on in many high schools in Japan.
Some professional calli- graphers have criticised the “calligraphy performance” as inauthentic. However, Shodo as a performance art has garnered a strong following whereas inter- est in the original form has stagnated over the years.
I produced this programme in order to share the excitement of the Shodo performance and the
feverish enthusiasm of the Shodo girls who perform it.
The Shodo performance is attractive not only because it’s flashy and full of surprise. It makes a huge impression on the audience because these girls put heart and soul
into the performance, overlooking the fact that their limbs are being stained with ink.
They remind us of the importance of effort and how rewarding the sense of accomplishment is after a tough struggle.
ABU News 31
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