This is a blog documenting me, Thomas, who documents the lives of other people. I'll write a lot about life in Japan post 3/11 and also link videos from my YouTube Channel. 有り難う for stopping by.
All has been quiet on my social media front. This often happens when I find myself in the depths of the edit suite working on a new film. Over the next couple of months I will be sharing about a new feature documentary film for which I am currently overseeing the post-production, and it is by far the strangest film I have worked on to date...
In the meantime, I did find time to (briefly) escape from the edit suite for about 36 hours over this past weekend for the Obon holiday (Festival of the Dead). Last year, I spent the Obon holiday with a friend who was documenting the festivities for television (Part 1 HERE, Part 2 HERE, Part 3 HERE and Part 4 HERE).
This year was very different as I marked the holiday with Mr. Hata's family in Fukushima. I first wrote about Mr. Hata when I reunited him with his son 30 after years (STORY). When he died, I wrote THIS entry and then when he was buried, I wrote THIS one.
As this was the first Obon since he died, I felt it was important to pay my respects at his grave and to spend time with Mrs. Hata and her family.
After visiting Mr. Hata's grave, I posted the following photos on Twitter:
Yesterday, as is Buddhist tradition, Mr. Hata's burial took place 49 days after his death. Held in a forest deep in the countryside of Japan, it was one of the most unusual burials I have ever had the honour of attending. A description with accompanying photos is HERE.
In
April, I shared about the honour I had in reuniting a dying man with
the son he had not seen in 30 years. I published a photo-documentary
about their reunion called "Mr. Hata and T" (story and photos HERE).
Three
weeks to the day after being reunited with his son, Mr. Hata died
peacefully in his sleep. I collected some thoughts, photos and words of
condolences in a post-script HERE.
Thank you all so very much for sharing in Mr. Hata's story, for your kind words of support and condolences, and for sharing about how his story has affected you personally. May we carry with us the lessons he has left with us as we continue on our journey of life.
In June 2013, my film 'A2-B-C', about children living in Fukushima (WEBSITE), was awarded at the World Premier in Germany (STORY). After a world tour of over 25 festivals and several awards later, the film came home to Japan, and the following spring enjoyed what would eventually turn out to be a 6-week residency at the PolyPoly Higashi Nakano theatre in Tokyo ahead of a country-wide cinematic release (STORY). After the last screening at the cinema in Tokyo ended with a bang (STORY), 'A2-B-C' then went on to have a second life in so-called "private screenings", also called "four-walling", until all distribution for the film was abruptly and unceremoniously cancelled in March of last year in a move that was seen as some as an attempt at censorship (STORY). Six months later, the private screening process was re-established, and the film could once again be seen in Japan (STORY).
Last autumn, I had the honour of attending and speaking at several of these screenings, although with my recent filming and editing work, including the follow film to 'A2-B-C' (STORY), I have not been able to attend a screening of the film for several months. Yesterday, there was screening of 'A2-B-C' in Tokyo, and although I was not scheduled to attend, I decided to surprise both the audience and the organizers by showing up moments before the film ended. The organizers were shocked to see me, but welcomed me warmly and asked me to speak to the audience before the post-screening discussion. It was an honour to speak to the audience, and share with them about the filming I have been doing in Fukushima in the more than three years since filming on 'A2-B-C' finished.
In the evening, I attended a symposium about affects on human health and Fukushima. One of the presenters, Dr. Ushiyama, is one of the founders of the 311 Thyroid Cancer Family Group (STORY), and for even those who have been studying the problems in Fukushima since the beginning, the symposium was filled with eye-opening information based on research from Chernobyl and the testimonies of patients and families in Fukushima and Northern Tochigi.
with Dr. Ushiyama and my assistant Rei following the symposium
Shortly after I posted my interview with the first young person with thyroid cancer in Fukushima to speak out two weeks ago (STORY), I accompanied AP reporter Yuri Kageyama (TWITTER) to Fukushima where I introduced her to the young woman. Yuri's story, "Woman breaks silence among Fukushima thyroid cancer patients" was published by the AP yesterday (read HERE) and was included in their "The Big Story", "Top News", and "10 things to know for Today" sections. If this doesn't shake things up, I don't know what will...
A few hours after the article was published, I received a message with an interview request from Mike Woods at Radio France Internationale English Service. I was at a dinner meeting, so I excused myself to go outside. While standing on a street in Tokyo on my iPhone, the interview was recorded in a sound booth in France- a great example of using technology for good. The interview is HERE (3 min).
I
am so grateful to the AP and reporter Yuri Kageyama for helping to share
this brave young woman's story with the world.
Thank you all so very much for your support and encouragement.
I am extremely honoured to have screenings of my films in several countries this week!
On Wednesday (May 25) the Korean film festival DMZ DOCS is holding an encore screening of my film '-1287' (WEBSITE)
for "family month" (May) at 20:00 (INFO). I was honoured to receive
the First Prize in the Asian Competition at the 2015 edition of the
festival (STORY).
On Friday (May 27), my documentary 'Dying at Home' (WEBSITE), which was commissioned by NHK World, will be screened at 20:00 during a special event organized by NHK WORLD at the 2016 Nippon Connection Japanese Film Festival in Frankfurt, Germany (INFO). I have had the honour of attending two previous editions of Nippon Connection; in 2013 when I received the Nippon Visions Award for my film 'A2-B-C' (STORY) and in 2015 when I received the Audience Award for Best Feature Film for my film '-1287' (STORY).
And on Saturday (May 28), '-1287' will be screening in the touring section of the Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival (INFO) in Taoyuan. I was honoued to have my film 'A2-B-C' screened in the 2013 edition of TIEFF (STORY) and also to attend last year's main festival with '-1287' (STORY).
Thank you all so much for your encouragement and continued support of my work.
For each of the last four days, I have published a part of an interview I filmed with a brave, young woman from Fukushima about her diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Following are some details about the interview as well as some data for reference. Part 1 of the interview can be viewed by clicking the following link, while the entire four-part interview can be seen HERE.
This interview was filmed on February 12, 2016, in Fukushima Prefecture. The young woman was 15 at the time of the nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, and we are releasing this interview with her permission. She is one of the 166 Fukushima residents aged 18 or younger at the time of the nuclear disaster who has been diagnosed with or suspected of having thyroid cancer (as of February 2016).
Fukushima residents who were 18 years old or younger at the time of the nuclear accident have been asked to participate in the free and voluntary thyroid ultrasound examination which is part of the Fukushima Health Management Survey. However, 18.8% of this age group were not tested in the 1st round of testing.* The final results for the 2nd round of testing are not yet complete, however, every year the number of children participating in the official thyroid examinations is decreasing. In fact, the number of children who have not participated in the 2nd round of testing is currently 50.7%** For those young people aged 18-21 (as of April 1, 2014) and who were living in Fukushima at the time of the nuclear accident, 74.5% have not yet taken part in the voluntary thyroid ultrasound examination.**
This young woman’s reason for speaking out is to motivate the families of children who have not yet received the thyroid ultrasound examination to do so.
Below is a summary of the main points of the young woman’s story:
1) She often gets tired easily after undergoing surgery for thyroid cancer.
2) She sometimes feels emotionally unstable after the surgery.
3) She has no medical doctor with whom she can talk comfortably.
4) She does not want other Fukushima children/ adolescents to develop thyroid cancer.
5) She wants young residents in Fukushima to undergo regular thyroid checkups, so that thyroid cancer cases may be detected early.
6) She is anxious about the possible health implications on her future children.
In sharing her story about a topic which has become increasingly difficult to talk publicly about in Japan, she faces inherent risks which may include those to her work, community life and personal relationships, and I therefore ask that her privacy is respected. It is after careful consideration following the recording of this interview, I have decided her story should be released for the following reasons:
Points 1) and 2): Fukushima Medical University insists that thyroid cancer is not a disease that is deadly, and therefore residents in Fukushima do not have to worry even if they are diagnosed with thyroid cancer. However, this young woman’s story clearly demonstrates that the postoperative conditions of patients are not that simple. Post-operative patients are likely to experience various physical and emotional difficulties even after they have survived thyroid cancer.
Points 3): Doctors at Fukushima Medical University are not forming a comfortable relationship with the patients on whom they operate, which is a significant problem in terms of doctor-to-patient relationships. It is even more problematic when it is taken into account that most of the patients are young and therefore require intensive medical and emotional follow-up care.
Points 5): She is sending a strong message to young Fukushima residents that they should continue receiving regular thyroid checkups.
My hope is that her courageousness in speaking out will encourage others to do so as well.
May they never be forgotten.
May we all work together to support them.
And may this great tragedy never again be repeated.
Today I served as the MC for the Q&A following a screening of Fukushima: A Nuclear Story (WEBSITE) held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (event INFO). It is always an honour to be asked by the FCCJ to serve in this capacity, particularly when the event is highlighting an issue related to Fukushima.
Fukushima: A Nuclear Story, which is narrated by Willem Dafoe and makes liberal use of Japanese-style animation, is described as "unique" at the top of the four pages of distributor-authored notes handed to attendees as they entered the screening. This is true both for the film and its writer/ star, Pia d'Emilia, an Italian journalist and 30-year resident of Japan.
with Pia d'Emilia during the pre-screening meeting
post-screening Q&A
A video of the Q&A has been posted to the FCCJ channel:
The highlight of the day was lunch in the FCCJ bar and a visit with friend and Chernobyl/ Fukushima researcher Tim Mousseau. Tim is based at the University of South Carolina and was in Japan this week to continue his research in Fukushima before moving on to Chernobyl the week after next (with a trip back to America in between!). We never know where in the world we are going to run into each other- we have bumped into each other at conferences in Japan, of course, but also in Singapore and Germany (twice!). I highly recommend reading At Chernobyl and Fukushima, radioactivity has seriously harmed wildlife, one of Tim's latest papers (HERE).
with Dr. Timothy Mousseau
Professor of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina
Since shortly after the reunion three weeks ago of Mr. Hata and T (STORY), the son he had not seen in 30 years, Mr. Hata's health failed quickly. Traveling between Tokyo and Mr. Hata's home in Tohoku as much as possible, I spent a lot of time with him- sometimes filming, but often just being together. My role in Mr. Hata's life had already evolved from filmmaker to friend, and during the last week of his life, I became one of his caregivers as well, helping to bath and care for him.
On Friday, three weeks to the day of his reunion with T, Mr. Hata died. The updates and kind messages I received from the around the world are collected in a postscript HERE. The original story about Mr. Hata's reunion with T is HERE.
Only part of my relationship with Mr. Hata, his wife and their extended
family is documented in my photo series, but it is certainly a significant part. I
plan to write down and someday share about the rest, much of which I am
still processing.
For those who saw my NHK commission "Dying at Home" in February, you will know Mr. Hata as one of the central patients I documented who has terminal cancer and is preparing to die (INFO).
Since meeting him, I have developed a close relationship with Mr. Hata and his wife, and I have spent the night with them in their home several times in the past few months. When I arrive, they always greet me with a warm "Welcome Home!" and a home-cooked meal.
Mr. Hata and his wife have no children, but when referring to her husband, Mrs. Hata refers to him as "father". The first time I spent the night, she set out a pair of Mr. Hata's pajamas for me to wear, saying "I think father's pajamas will be a little big on you, but they'll do." And there was something in the way Mr. Hata would voice his concerns about me not having job security as an "artist" and in the way he would tease me for being too skinny and not being able to drink "like an adult" that really made him seem like a dad.
During one of those visits when his wife was not around, Mr. Hata told me about a son he had not seen in over thirty years. In that moment it occurred to me that the fatherly way Mr. Hata had towards me was at least in part because my presence reminded him of the son he had who was around my age and whom he had not seen in over three decades.
After mentioning his son to me on a couple of more occasions, I asked Mr. Hata if he was just wanting me to listen or if, perhaps, he was wanting me to try to find his son. He said that he wanted to see his son before he died. With his wife's blessing, I found T, Mr. Hata's son, and reunited them after 30 years.
It was an amazing, life-changing and emotional weekend. In real
time, I documented in photographs and words the reunion of a dying
father and the son he had not seen in 30 years.
The curated Tweets and
reactions from around the world have been collected here:
As events marking the 5th anniversary of the March 11, 2011, disaster continued, last Sunday I was honoured to be invited to participate in a symposium organized by NPO Chikurin-sha (INFO). Other panelists included two people who had evacuated from Fukushima to the Tokyo area and two whom have not been able to evacuate.
To represent those who had not been able to evacuate was Mrs. Sugano, who attended the conference with her husband and children. The Sugano's are one of the main families documented in my film 'A2-B-C' (website), and it is always wonderful to see them.
With the recent stepping down (firings?!) of some major broadcast journalists (news story HERE) and the outrageous statement of Sanae Takaichi, Japan's communications minister, about the "possibility of shutting down television companies that flout rules on political impartiality" (news story HERE), on Thursday I attended the press conference "Japan's Journalists Speak Out" at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (INFO).
The journalists were resolute in sharing their thoughts and even felt comfortable enough to debate with each other about what they see as the root of the problems, including if the pressure was external (by the government) or self-inflicting (self-censorship). Some quotes I found particularly interesting:
Shigetada Kishii:"Journalism is here to check and criticize the government. If we can not do that, then the media is dead."
Soichiro Tahara:"The Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression, and the Constitution is more important than the Broadcast Law."
Akihiro Otani:"NHK is not present today. The foreign media is here, but not the national broadcaster. This demonstrates the problem here today. This (control of the media) is something that is unthinkable in (other democracies). This is something that should only happen in an extreme dictatorial state."
The entire press conference can be seen on the FCCJ channel, HERE in English, 日本語ここ.
Today, I spent the day in Gifu at the beautiful Entokuji Temple where a conference was held by the Preserving Deciduous Teeth Network (PDTN). Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, this group is working to create "a nationwide network of people contributing their children's shed deciduous teeth. The collected teeth will be examined to determine the concentration of Strontium-90 deposited within them" (INFO). I was invited to attend the conference by Dr. Ichihara, whom I had met in Berlin last month when screening the rough cut of my latest documentary about Fukushima (STORY).
When I arrived, I was happy to also see Dr. Matsui and his wife, whom I had
last met nearly two years ago when Dr. Matsui led the post-screening
discussion of the final cinema showing in Tokyo of my film 'A2-B-C' after the theatrical run in the capital (STORY). I had first met Dr. Matsui several months earlier in Germany while attending THIS IPPNW conference about Chernobyl and Fukushima.
At the conference in Gifu, two amazing films by Wladimir Tchertkoff about the disaster at Chernobyl, 'Le Sacrifice' (2003) and 'Controverses Nucléaires' (2003), were screened accompanied by a talk given by the director himself. For anyone interested in nuclear issues, these two films are essential viewing.
Now, as April approaches, I wonder how many people are still thinking about Fukushima. "Will it take another year, another anniversary for people to remember?" I wonder, as I head back into the edit suite to finish my new documentary about children living amid contamination...
During the marking of the 5th anniversary of the March 11, 2011, disasters, screenings of my documentaries about the effect on children of the nuclear disaster in Fukushima were held in several cities around the world and in Japan (screenings in Canada, Germany HERE, Japan domestic screenings HERE). Just back from screenings in Germany and Ireland (STORY), my assistant, Rei, and I traveled to Nagano Prefecture on Friday, March 11, to attend screenings of my film "In the Grey Zone" (WEBSITE) on Saturday (screening INFO).
On the way to Nagano, I received a notice about an extremely important press conference that had been suddenly scheduled about a group that had formed for families with children who have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer after the nuclear disaster; it was scheduled for the following day when we were supposed to be in Nagano for the screenings.
This issue of post-Fukushima pediatric thyroid cancer is the main theme of my new documentary, and I felt I needed to be at the press conference in Tokyo. Arriving in Nagano on Friday evening, I held my breath as I told the screening organizers about the press conference and asked for their understanding in my desire to return to Tokyo first thing in the morning, thus missing the Saturday screenings which I had come all the way to Nagano to attend. I explained that their desire to show my film and create a dialogue in their community about what has happened in Fukushima was directly tied to my desire to return to Tokyo and continue to document the current situation. After a long discussion at dinner, during which the board members debated the pros and cons of suddenly cancelling my advertised appearance at the screenings (and during which my nerves did not allow me to eat), the board members decided to give me their blessing to return to Tokyo to attend the press conference and we agreed that I would take part in the post-screening discussion via video phone from outside the press conference directly after it was finished (explanation from the Nagano screening group HERE).
from the FB page of screening organizer Mr. Obata.
Back in Tokyo after leaving Nagano first thing Saturday the morning, we attended the press conference given by three organizing members of the 311 Thyroid Cancer Family Group, along with two fathers of Fukushima children who have developed thyroid cancer. The fathers took part in the press conference in Tokyo via Skype from Fukushima, but they did not show their faces and their voices were electronically altered. During the question period, Rei asked the fathers to talk about their need to hide their identities. In response, one father expressed concern about discussing his child's thyroid cancer when there was not direct proof it was caused by exposure to radiation. The other father spoke of his desire to protect his children's future and his fear of the possibility of some kind of repercussion or negative effect from speaking out.
Group founding member Dr. Ushiyama speaks
one of the fathers speaks at the press conference via Skype
My assistant, Rei, asks his question to the fathers
Journalists covering the press conference
Immediately after the press conference ended, we hurried to a Karaoke Bar near the venue, where we had rented a sound-proof Karaoke box from which I took part in the post-screening discussion of "In the Grey Zone" in Nagano via video phone.
The next day, we traveled to Fukushima, where a screening of my film 'A2-B-C' (WEBSITE) was being held in Sukagawa City in the beautiful (and delicious!) veggie restaurant Ginga No Hotori (screening INFO).
During the Q&A, I was delighted to be able to present a scene from my new film (the work-in-progress I screened in Germany in Ireland) featuring the decontamination activities of Fukushima fathers Mr. Suzuki and Mr. Murakami. It was an honour to have them both in attendance at the screening and to hear from them directly about their activities.
The screening was a wonderful opportunity to see some familiar faces (including one who appeared in 'A2-B-C'!) as well as to meet some new supporters.
Today marks five years since the March 11, 2011, triple disasters of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown. As I travel this weekend to events and screenings marking this solemn anniversary, I reflect on the events of the past five years and on the sacred stories that have been shared with me by those who were most affected.
===============================================
Originally posted last year on the 4th anniversary, I am re-posting below some of my early short documentaries and trailers about the 3.11 disasters.
Documenting 3.11: the first ten days
My journey documenting 3.11 started with the first entry I wrote (HERE) and a short documentary I filmed about panic buying in Tokyo a couple of days after the disaster (story HERE).
This was followed by several short documentaries posted in quick
succession. A compilation VIDEO of all of these early short
documentaries that I edited together and posted for the 2nd anniversary
is below, and the accompanying guest blog published by Discovery News is
HERE with a list of other blogs I wrote for Discovery News listed at the bottom of THIS entry). The full collection of my early short documentaries about the disaster is HERE.
Documenting 3.11: One month later
After
reading a newspaper article describing the government's plan to re-open
schools near the zone 20-30km from the nuclear power plant just one
month after the nuclear disaster, I traveled to Fukushima with friend
and cameraman Colin O'Neill. We documented the children living there,
and soon after we returned to Tokyo we posted a four part "making of"
documentary, beginning with this Video (part 1 below, all 4 parts HERE)
This would become my first feature documentary about the disaster, 'In the Grey Zone' (TRAILER below and website HERE):
Documenting 3.11: Six months later
Six
months later while editing 'In the Grey Zone' in Japan with friend and
colleague Ed Ison, Colin and I traveled back to Minamisoma City in
Fukushima where we filmed an update that we posted in three parts (Part 1
story HERE and VIDEO below, stories about Part 2 HERE and Part 3 HERE, with all three VIDEOS HERE).
Documenting 3.11: One year later
For
the 1st Anniversary of the disaster in March 2012, I filmed a
three-part update about the children living in the 20-30km zone which I
posted to my channel (Story Part 1 HERE, Part 2 HERE and Part 3 HERE, VIDEO part one below, all three videos HERE):
Documenting 3.11: Fifteen months later
A
couple of months later, I returned to Fukushima, this time with friend
and cameraman Koji Fujita, and in the summer of 2012, I posted two short
films about the continuing nuclear disaster. The first of these was
'Nuclear Refugees: the people of Iitate Village, one year later' (story HERE and VIDEO below):
The second short documentary I posted that summer was 'In Containment', a five-part series that documented
some shocking revelations about life in Fukushima after the disaster and found me
entering the no-go zone for the first time (VIDEO for Part 3 below and those for Parts 2, 3 and 4 HERE).
During the filming and editing of 'In Containment', I realized I was
uncovering a story much larger story than just an "update", and that I
had in fact started making a new film. Parts 1 and 5 would eventually
form the beginning of my
second feature documentary about the Fukushima disaster, 'A2-B-C'
(website ENGLISH/ 日本語).
Documenting 3.11: The children in Fukushima
I
continued filming throughout the autumn of 2012 and early winter of
2013, focusing on the children and families living in Fukushima.
Posting the trailer in February of 2013 (TRAILER below), it was
serendipitous that the last day of editing I did on the film before
handing it off to Ed and Colin back in the UK to finish the
post-production was on March 11, 2013, the second anniversary of the
disaster (STORY).
Documenting 3.11: The story continues
I am currently finishing the follow-up to 'A2-B-C', in what will
be the third film in my series about Fukushima, the work-in-progress of which I recently screened in Europe (STORY). Thank you all so very
much for your continued support and encouragement.
It was an honour to travel to Germany and Berlin over the past ten days to present two of my documentary films during events marking the 5th anniversary of the March 11, 2011, disaster in Japan. The first of these was on February 27 in Berlin with a work-in-progress screening of my newest documentary at the international
congress “5 years living with Fukushima - 30 years living
with Chernobyl” sponsored by the International Physicians for the
Prevention of Nuclear War (INFO). This film is my third in my series about families with
children living in Fukushima after "In the Grey Zone" (2012 WEBSITE) and "A2-B-C" (2013 WEBSITE). IPPNW has screened my films before (HERE, for example) and also used my photographs in their publications (HERE, for example).
The congress in Berlin was an amazing opportunity to receive feedback about the film from medical professionals and specifically doctors who have extensive experience both working in and researching heath effects after the nuclear disasters in Chernobyl and Fukushima. I will carry their feedback, questions, and comments from the post-screening Q&A led by Dr. Alex Rosen (photo below) with me as I prepare to lock picture, finish the film, and begin submissions.
After attending the congress in Berlin, I flew to Cork, Ireland, where I presented my films 'A2-B-C' and the work-in-progress of the newest film in the series, and gave a lecture (March 1
and 2 INFO). This was at the generous invitation of professor Dr. Till Weingartner, whom I had first met three years ago when he was my "translator" at the world premier of 'A2-B-C' (photo and story HERE). Dr. Weingartner is now a lecturer in Contemporary East Asian Studies at the University College Cork.
On March 3, we moved on to Dublin, where 'A2-B-C' was screened at the University of College Dublin with the support of the UCD Japanese Society and Experience Japan (INFO). The pre-screening talk and post-screening Q&A were led by the UCD School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice's Dr. Naonori Kodate (photo below). It was an honour to screen before an audience of mostly young people and to hear their questions/ comments nearly five years after the disaster.
Taking a few days off from work at the end of the trip, I had an opportunity to explore a bit of Dublin and then to take the ferry over to North Wales, where I visited friends and the family grave.
Freshly back from the trip, there is much to think about and reflect upon. However, there is not much time to settle back in as these screenings were just the first in a series of events I will attend that
are marking the 5th anniversary of the March 11, 2011, triple disasters
of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown; I leave tomorrow for domestic screening in Nagano and Fukushima. Thank you all so very
much for your support and encouragement over these five years.
