Little Miss Sumo: Smashing Glass Ceilings

Women are said to ‘contaminate the sacred space’ and so are banned from entering professional sumo rings. Sumo has been around for thousands of years but now is as exciting a time as ever. In this webinar the director of award-winning short film Little Miss Sumo Matt Kay takes us on a tour inside the world of female sumo wrestling. As well as discussing the inspiration for the documentary, history of the sport and the filmmaking process we will branch out to the wider complexities of respecting tradition yet remaining ethical.

Little Miss Sumo is about female sumo wrestling champion Hiyori Kon who confronts obstacles both inside and outside the ring in an attempt to change Japan’s national sport forever. Will both genders ever be regarded as equal in the sport of sumo? With Tokyo 2021 on the horizon how is this sporting world adapting? In a post #MeToo and #KuToo era how has Little Miss Sumo contributed to discussions revolving around larger discussions of gender equality in Japanese society?