Angelina Jolie is finding her new film, Unbroken, under fire and facing a possible ban in Japan, with nationalists calling her a "Demon" and racist for the portrayal of torture on Prisoners of War (POW) in Japanese war camps during World War II.
The movie directed by Jolie is based on the 2010 nonfiction book by Laura Hillenbrand about the life of Olympic athlete, Louis Zamperini, who survived a plane crash, only to be taken prisoner and made to endure physical and mental abuse as a prisoner of war.
The book had previously won numerous honors and awards, including the number one spot of Time Magazine's Top 10 Nonfiction Books in 2010, a shortlist mention in the 2011 Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and longlisted for Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction in 2012.
Jolie's film adaptation of the book is set to be released on Boxing day.
An online petition in Japan has already gathered 8000 signatures calling to ban the film from being distributed or screened in Japan and to prohibit Jolie from entering the country. Many critics on social media have been accusing the actress-turned-director of racial discrimination, saying that the way Japanese prisons during WWII was depicted in the movie is completely made up.
They are particularly angered by the portrayal of Mutsuhiro Watanabe, whom prisoners nicknamed "The Bird." He is described in the book, as well as in the movie, as taking delight in the torture of Zamperini while he was prisoner - making him endure extreme hardships and humiliation under the constant threat of death.
"It's pure fabrication. If there is no verification of the things he said, then anyone can make such claims. This movie has no credibility and is immoral," said Hiromichi Moteki, secretary-general for nationalist pressure group, the Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact.
However, other activists are calling out the critics for their extreme denial of historical facts.
"There is plenty of documentation on the abuse and tortures inflicted upon POWs. There is also plenty of eyewitness and forensic evidence of Japanese cannibalism of prisoners as well of fellow soldiers. With the majority of war crimes trials and much of the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal focused on atrocities against POWs, discrediting POW testimony is an important step toward discrediting the war crimes trials. This is the objective of it all. It is outrageous and reprehensible to deny what happened to Louis Zamperini," says Mindy Kotler, Director of Asia Policy Point.
According to historical records by the end of World War II, some figures show that the 93,941 Americans in German prison camps had a one percent death rate. However, in Japan, "27,465 U.S. military personnel captured and interned by Japan" experienced around 38-40 percent mortality rate.
The real Louis Zamperini passed away at the age of 97 in July and Jolie was able to spend time with him in preparation for directing the film about his life. Jolie described the special friendship they formed as inspiring and he became a father figure to her.
