Fukuoka, 2003. Elementary school teacher YABUSHITA Seiichi (AYANO Go) is devoted to his job. One day, he is accused by a boy’s mother, HIMURO Ritsuko (SHIBASAKI Ko), of brutally disciplining her allegedly mixed-race son. Despite insisting that he has no recollection of the incident and claiming it is completely untrue, Seiichi is forced by his headteacher — more concerned about the school’s reputation — to apologise publicly to other parents. The gesture, however, fails to end the controversy.
What makes the matter worse is a media exposé that reveals Seiichi’s real name and casts him as a national villain. As public outrage grows, Seiichi is vilified and isolated, while Ritsuko garners sympathy and rallies support for an unprecedented civil lawsuit. Every day life unravels as despair overwhelms Seiichi, who fiercely continues to deny Ritsuko’s claim.
Internationally acclaimed MIIKE Takashi transforms journalist FUKUDA Masumi’s ground-breaking report, Fabrication: The Truth Behind the Fukuoka ‘Murderous Teacher’ Case, into this gripping film. The story serves as both a social critique and a moral inquiry, challenging us to question what is real, whom to trust, and how fragile the images we create of others truly are.
Contains references to abuse and implications of child suicide.
Sham
でっちあげ ～殺人教師と呼ばれた男 (Detchiage: Satsujin kyoshi to yobareta otoko)
Directed by MIIKE Takashi
2025, 129 min.
Starring: AYANO Go, SHIBASAKI Ko, KAMENASHI Kazuya
All tickets £7.50
Knowing Me, Knowing You
The True Self in Japanese Cinema
6 February – 31 March 2026
The UK’s largest festival of Japanese cinema, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme (JFTFP), is back again. This is the place where cinema comes alive!
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