Italian
London-based international documentary sales and production outfit Dogwoof has secured further international sales for Shiori Ito’s “Black Box Diaries,” which was Oscar-shortlisted last week for documentary feature.
The film premiered in competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and has since been an audience and critical favorite at international festivals worldwide, picking up several awards on its journey.
Dogwoof has secured further sales in territories including BBC Storyville (U.K.), ZDF/Arte (Germany and France), Sky Digi Ent. (Taiwan), Star Alliance (China), Anticipate (Singapore and Thailand), Falcon Pictures (Indonesia), Discovery (former Yugoslavia), and MBC (Middle East and North Africa).
Previously announced sales include Art House Films (France), Trigon (Switzerland), Periscoop (Benelux), NonStop (Scandinavia and Baltics), Anticipate Pictures (Singapore), Filmin (Spain), Sherry Media (Canada) and EDKO (Hong Kong).
Popular on Variety MTV Documentary Films, which acquired U.S. distribution rights from Dogwoof, will debut the film on Paramount+ with Showtime on Jan. 7, ahead of Oscar nomination voting opening on Jan. 8. Dogwoof released the film theatrically in the U.K. and Ireland in October.
“Black Box Diaries” follows director Ito’s courageous investigation of her own sexual assault in an improbable attempt to prosecute her high-profile offender. Unfolding like a thriller and combining secret investigative recordings, vérité shooting and emotional first-person video, her quest becomes a landmark case in Japan, exposing the country’s desperately outdated judicial and societal systems.
A journalist, writer and filmmaker with a focus on gender-based human rights issues, Ito wrote the bestselling book “Black Box” based on her experience. The book went on to win the Free Press Association of Japan Award for Best Journalism in 2018 and is now available in 11 languages, including English. For her contribution to Japan’s #MeToo movement, Ito was listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2020.
“Black Box Diaries” is directed by Ito and produced by Eric Nyari, Hanna Aqvilin and Ito. The film is edited by Ema Ryan Yamazaki (2025 Oscar-shortlisted nominee for documentary short). Cinematography is by Hanna Aqvillin, Yuta Okamura, Ito, Keke Shiratama, and Yuichiro Otsuka. Original score is by Mark Degli Antoni. Executive producers are Robina Riccitiello, Josh Peters and Mitsunobu Kawamura. The film is an international co-production by Hanashi Films, Cineric Creative and Star Sands.
