CJS Film Series - Forest of Oppression—A Record of the Struggle at Takasaki City University of Economics

Directed by Shinsuke Ogawa | 105min | 16mm-to-Digital Video

After their first film, Sea of Youth, the film team turned itself into a full-fledged collective: the Independent Screening Organization, or Jieso for short. This was the precursor to Ogawa Productions, and as the name indicates, their focus was on reception. This was because they discovered there was no easy way to show Sea of Youth. Jieso networked social movements and film fans across Japan to create an alternative distribution route. Their next film, Forest of Oppression, turns to the phenomenon of students barricading themselves inside schools to various political ends. They chose Takasaki City University of Economics, and audiences were shocked by the vigor and violence of this protest in such a minor university. The film put Ogawa on the map.