Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Based on the life of a real geisha, Memoirs of a Geisha depicts the lives of the geishas back in he 1960s to the 1970s. The film was based on the novel by Arthur Golden whose main character in the book was based on the retired geisha Mineko Iwasaki. Contrary to popular belief that geishas are some kind of prostitutes or sexual companions, they are in fact artistic performers and entertainers. Iwasaki explains that the geisha never offered their virginity as a part of their job as geisha. Although the movie features a Japanese culture, it has become quite controversial for having Chinese actors portray the roles of the Japanese characters. Aside from this issue in casting, the political relationship between Japan and China has been affected.