The Ones Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan

The Ones Left Behind:

The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan

About the film

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"The Ones Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan" is a gripping and emotional exploration of the silent challenges faced by single mothers in one of the world's most advanced yet tradition-bound societies, showing a very different side of Japan that the world how come to know.

This critically acclaimed documentary reveals the untold stories of women raising children alone, battling systemic barriers, cultural stigma, and crushing financial pressures.

Through raw, intimate interviews and striking visuals, the film captures the resilience of these mothers as they navigate an unforgiving social landscape. It confronts the societal norms that marginalize them, examines Japan's limited support systems, and asks the hard questions: How can a nation so focused on progress continue to leave so many women and children behind?

Whether you're drawn to social justice, fascinated by Japanese culture, or simply seeking powerful storytelling, "The Ones Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan" is a must-watch. It’s not just a film—it’s a call to action, challenging viewers to rethink the meaning of family, support, and equality in modern society.

Join the conversation. Support The Ones Left Behind and discover the untold stories of courage and determination that demand to be heard.

Upcoming Screening Schedule

(Sold out) December 7th (Sat), 2024 - ULTRA SUPER NEW Art Studio Tokyo One-day limited screening from 7pm
December 15th (Sun), 2024 - Prince Akatoki Hotel London One-day limited screening from 2pm
November 14th-20th, 2024 K's Cinema 1 WEEK SCREENING: TWO SESSIONS!
Session 1: 10:00am
Session 2: 11:50am
Tickets available for purchase 3 days from the date of the screening
December 27th (Fri), 2024 Jiyu Gakuen Asukan Independent Screening
10:30am 5 minutes walk from Ikebukuro Station
January 18th to January 31st 2025 - From East Cinema (Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture)

K's Cinema DOUBLE Screening Extension!

Due to popular demand, we are thrilled to announce that our award-winning documentary will screen for a 2nd one week only screening at K's Cinema in Shinjuku. Every seat was sold out for the initial 1 week so please be sure to purchase your ticket online ASAP to secure your seat! This milestone is a testament to the powerful stories shared by the resilient women featured in the film. We invite you to join us at K's Cinema to witness their journey and continue the conversation on this critical issue. Screening from 10:00am (session 1) and 11:50am (session 2) every day for one week from November 14th-20th, 2024 - your support has made this possible! Get your tickets here!

Selected by MEXT!

The documentary film "The Ones Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan" has been endorsed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) for educational film screening as suitable for youth and adults (February 26, 2024) in Japan. The screening process selects films that have high educational value and are appropriate for widespread use in school and social education.

Miyakojima International Film Festival Best Documentary Award WINNER

MIYAKOJIMA, OKINAWA (July 2, 2023) - Hot on the heels of it's Japan premiere at the Yokohama International Film Festival, Australian director Rionne McAvoy's debut feature documentary film "The Ones Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan" has won best documentary at the Miyakojima International Film Festival, in Okinawa, Japan.

Miharu and Touka Chiba in Miyakojima

Yokohama International Film Festival

The 3rd Ishigaki Shonan International Documentary Film Festival Audience Award WINNER

Shonan, Kanagawa (February 12th, 2024) - Director Rionne McAvoy, executive producer Ivan Kovac, and Tomiko Nakayama accept the audience award for "The Ones Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan" at the 3rd Ishigaki Island Shonan International Documentary Film Festival.

Audience award winner

Certificate

The Hollywood Reporter (print and online) says:

The Australian filmmaker tackles an issue that makes uncomfortable viewing at times in 'The Ones Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan.'

The Hollywood Reporter here.

Editor in Chief of Tokyo Weekender Magazine (print and online) says:

McAvoy is a natural raconteur. His brilliant storytelling also involves the history of postwar Japan, yet what McAvoy reveals in his film the best is a series of narratorial boxes in which he opens the situations and realities in which many single parents in Japan live in.

Full Tokyo Weekender article here.

The Japan Times (print and online newspaper) says:

The women who share their stories in the documentary are a diverse group. Their children range in age from toddlers to young adults, and their jobs include contract office worker, temple priestess and actress. While most are divorced, there are also women who are single by choice after unexpectedly finding themselves pregnant. What unites them all is a wish to live with a sense of self-worth and dignity, and with enough means to provide stable lives and bright futures for their children.

McAvoy is humbled yet proud that “The Ones Left Behind” may play a part in raising awareness of the issue.

Full Japan Times article here.

About the director

The Ones Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan, is long term Tokyo resident and Australian filmmaker Rionne McAvoy's first feature documentary film. Rionne uncovers and unravels the causes of the unequal social background that Japan finds itself in, and uses a blend of real-life stories of single mothers and poverty issues in Japan, together with the chilling murder cases of two children of Japanese single mothers, as well as experts on the single mother and poverty issues in Japan, to expose a side of Japan that many Japanese refuse to admit exists. His stunning use of archival footage is used to explain the historical reasons for the current predicament that Japan finds itself in.

Rionne (pronounced Rye-Own) is a documentary filmmaker originally hailing from the Gold Coast in Australia. Now residing in Tokyo, Japan, for over 17 years, Rionne is fully bilingual in English and Japanese.

Rionne grew up in South East Queensland, Australia, and at the age of 19 went to Japan for an 8 week karate training trip and fell in love with the country. Putting his IT university studies on hold and returning to Japan 1 year later on a working holiday visa, Rionne spent 18 months living and working in Japan, including spending the last 8 months of that trip living with a Japanese host family. This is where he really began to master the Japanese language.

Realizing the need to complete his college education, Rionne returned to Australia and enrolled in a full time Japanese language and history degree at Griffith University. In the middle of those studies, Rionne spent 1 year as an international exchange student at Seikei University. Upon graduation from Griffith, Rionne returned to Japan where he has lived ever since.

A keen martial artist, Rionne has been in the Japanese film industry for over 10 years, often mixing his profession with that of his other profession - a professional wrestler under the ring name of Rionne Fujiwara. Rionne's debut documentary The ones left behind: The plight of single mothers in Japan has won numerous overseas and domestic film festival awards as it continues to be a shining light down the path of improving the living conditions for single parents in Japan, and around the world.