Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

Hamano Sachi’s Lily Festival (2001) challenges the male gaze through ageing, queer sexuality, and female agency, redefining sexual representation in Japanese soft porn. The film empowers marginalized voices and fosters political engagement, offering a feminist intervention in visual ethnography.

Paper long abstract

This research critically examines Hamano Sachi’s Lily Festival (2001) as a feminist intervention in Japanese pink cinema, challenging the male gaze through the lens of aging, queer sexuality, and female agency. By employing textual and contextual analysis, the study explores how Hamano reclaims female desire and representation, emphasizing individual and collective opportunities for women in a male-dominated industry. Situating her work within the framework of collaborative visual ethnography, this paper highlights how Hamano’s films serve as a platform for political engagement, challenging societal taboos around ageing and female sexuality while fostering inclusive conversations. Her films not only subvert patriarchal norms but also empower marginalized voices, particularly elderly women, by redefining their sexual agency and visibility.

The study’s innovative approach lies in its unique perspective on the intersection of gender, age, and Asian cultural contexts, analyzing how these factors influence female representation and desire. By centring the experiences of elderly women and exploring their sexual agency, Lily Festival exemplifies how ethnographic film can disrupt traditional gender norms and empower marginalized voices. This research contributes to the discourse on feminist visual anthropology, revealing how cultural narratives shape perceptions of female identity and expression. Furthermore, it advocates for an ethically accountable form of filmmaking that aligns with generational aspirations for equality and collaboration, emphasizing the importance of care ethics and co-authorship with marginalized communities in visual anthropology. Through this lens, the study underscores the democratizing potential of ethnographic film as a tool for social change and political action.