The Witches of the Orient

In the 1960s, the exceptional winning streak of Nichibo Kaizuka, a volleyball team of Japanese textile workers, sparked rumors of the supernatural. French director Julien Faraut’s documentary snaps into the team’s routines to show that the women’s success came not through bubbling cauldrons but through discipline, rigor and talent. Mixing archival footage and anime, it captures Japan’s response to World War II and the team’s role in rebuilding national prestige on the global stage.