CAMPAIGN
Price: $310.00 Code: 2314 |
Directed by Kazuhiro Soda
2007, 52 minutes
Purchase: $310 Classroom Rental: $125
Can a candidate with no political experience and no charisma win an election? Perhaps - if he is backed by the political giant, Prime Minister Koizumi and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
In the fall of 2005, 40-year-old, self-employed Kazuhiko Yamauchi's peaceful, humdrum life was turned upside-down when Koizumi's LDP party chose him at the last moment as its official candidate to run for a vacant seat on the Kawasaki City Council. Koizumi was a radical politician who in many ways wanted to break with the LDP's and Japan's political traditions; and Yamauchi - a stamp and coin salesman, a man of the people - presented such a break.
All over the world election campaigns focus on the personal background of the candidates, rather than their political abilities. Japanese election politics are shaped by traditions and formalities. You have to have your campaign endorsed and blessed. You have to have the right people endorsing it and you have to have the right family structure and the right bow and handshake to even be considered for a political post. With zero experience in politics, no charisma, no supporters, and no constituency, Yamauchi has one week to prepare for an election critical to the future of the LDP.
Adhering to the campaign tactic of "bowing to everybody, even to telephone poles," Yamaauchi visits local festivals, senior gatherings, commuter train stations, and even bus stops to offer his hand to everyone he sees. Can he win this heated race? Campaign offers up a microcosm of Japanese democracy, examining the formalities that end up shaping election campaigns and asking if we choose the "right" man for the job.
2007, 52 minutes
Purchase: $310 Classroom Rental: $125
Can a candidate with no political experience and no charisma win an election? Perhaps - if he is backed by the political giant, Prime Minister Koizumi and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
In the fall of 2005, 40-year-old, self-employed Kazuhiko Yamauchi's peaceful, humdrum life was turned upside-down when Koizumi's LDP party chose him at the last moment as its official candidate to run for a vacant seat on the Kawasaki City Council. Koizumi was a radical politician who in many ways wanted to break with the LDP's and Japan's political traditions; and Yamauchi - a stamp and coin salesman, a man of the people - presented such a break.
All over the world election campaigns focus on the personal background of the candidates, rather than their political abilities. Japanese election politics are shaped by traditions and formalities. You have to have your campaign endorsed and blessed. You have to have the right people endorsing it and you have to have the right family structure and the right bow and handshake to even be considered for a political post. With zero experience in politics, no charisma, no supporters, and no constituency, Yamauchi has one week to prepare for an election critical to the future of the LDP.
Adhering to the campaign tactic of "bowing to everybody, even to telephone poles," Yamaauchi visits local festivals, senior gatherings, commuter train stations, and even bus stops to offer his hand to everyone he sees. Can he win this heated race? Campaign offers up a microcosm of Japanese democracy, examining the formalities that end up shaping election campaigns and asking if we choose the "right" man for the job.
Subjects & Collections
Festivals & Awards
* Winner, Peabody Award, 2009Reviews
“Highly recommended.” - Educational Media Reviews OnlineTrailer
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