On at the same time
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The Contestant
Fri
25
Fri 25 Oct 9:15 PM
The Piccadilly: Cinema 1
General Admission
Unclassified 15+
90 Mins | 2023 | United States, Japan | Director: Clair Titley | Documentary | Feature | World DocumentaryThe naked truth about the world’s first reality TV star.
The unbelievable true story of a Japanese game show contestant left naked, alone and starving in a room for 15 months - unaware he was being broadcast to over 15 million TV viewers a week.
After a successful TV audition in 1998, a young actor nicknamed ‘Nasubi’ (‘Eggplant’) was put in a room, ordered to strip, and tasked with entering magazine sweepstakes to win what he needed to survive – food and clothing included. Hours turned into days turned into months alone. All the while, Nasubi was being filmed and aired live on national Japanese TV.
Director Clair Titley uncovers the truth behind the world’s first reality TV star, and asks uncomfortable questions about today’s culture of voyeurism, consumerism and oversharing - on air and online.
The unbelievable true story of a Japanese game show contestant left naked, alone and starving in a room for 15 months - unaware he was being broadcast to over 15 million TV viewers a week.
After a successful TV audition in 1998, a young actor nicknamed ‘Nasubi’ (‘Eggplant’) was put in a room, ordered to strip, and tasked with entering magazine sweepstakes to win what he needed to survive – food and clothing included. Hours turned into days turned into months alone. All the while, Nasubi was being filmed and aired live on national Japanese TV.
Director Clair Titley uncovers the truth behind the world’s first reality TV star, and asks uncomfortable questions about today’s culture of voyeurism, consumerism and oversharing - on air and online.
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