Happy to be Chagrinned

（下記日本語）

It is with great honour that I announce TWO MORE screenings of 'A2-B-C'!

'A2-B-C' will be screened during the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, October 2-6 (USA).  This year the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival was named one of Movie Maker Magazine's "Top 50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" (article HERE).

Screening details can be found by clicking the link below.

 お蔭様でもう二件の映画祭が決まりました！

「A2-B-C」は１０月にアメリカに行なう「シャグリン・ドキュメンタリ映画祭」に上映されます：

'A2-B-C' has also been invited to screen at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, October 10-17 (JAPAN).  This screening in Yamagata is particularly poignant for me, as it will be the first time for 'A2-B-C' to be shown in Tohoku, the area of Japan that was so devastated by the March 11, 2011, triple disasters of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown.

そして、１０月に行なう「山形国際ドキュメンタリ映画祭」に上映されます。

これは始めて「A2-B-C」が東北で上映されますので、心より感謝しております。

日本語のリンクはこちら。

Screening details have yet to be announced, but the listing of 'A2-B-C' at the 2013 Yamagata International Film Festival can be found in English by clicking the link below:

A mother in Fukushima has her say.

I was suddenly contacted this evening by a producer for the BBC World Service's program "Have Your Say".  With the recent news of leaks at the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima (NYTimes story HERE), they were preparing an episode called "Fukushima: nuclear threat raised after leak".

They asked me if I could talk about what some of the families living in Fukushima have shared with me about this new leak and what life in general is like for them.  In the hour and half I had to prepare before the program aired live, I called Mrs. Sugano, one of the mothers who appears in my documentary 'A2-B-C' (WEBSITE), and asked her what she wanted to share with the world about what is happening in Fukushima right now.

The 30-minute program "Fukushima: nuclear threat raised after leak" is available for streaming and download for free (HERE). I speak twice in the program, once towards the beginning and once towards the end.

There wasn't enough time in the program to convey all of what Mrs. Sugano wanted to share, so I would like to add some of her thoughts here:

• I am so nervous and scared for my children, but I'm afraid if my children sense that then this will cause them to become anxious.  So I just try to keep all of my feelings inside and put on a happy face.  Not being able to let out my feelings causes me more anxiety, and I'm feeling sick.

• It is our human right to live in a safe environment with safe food and safe water.  This basic human right is being taken away from us.

• We knew all along that water was leaking from the plant, that is why I have not given my children tap water or local food from Fukushima since the nuclear accident.  I preferred to err on the side of caution rather than to regret it later.  But now I know I made the right decision.

• This issue of contaminated water being released into the ocean means that this accident is no longer just our problem in Japan.  This is affecting the entire world.

• I just can not understand why TEPCO, a private company, is allowed to continue to be in charge of getting things under control at the plant.  But honestly, I don't think that even the Japanese government can handle it at this point.  We need to ask the world for help.

Gaining momentum...

I am so humbled to announce two more screenings of 'A2-B-C' in upcoming film festivals.

The first is in a festival that is dear to my heart, the Global Peace Film Festival in Orlando, Florida (September 17-22).  I had the honour of screening my film "In the Grey Zone" in Global Peace last year and wrote about the wonderful experience I had there on my blog (HERE).

Information on the screening of 'A2-B-C' at the 2013 Global Peace Film Festival can be found by clicking below:

I also have the honour of announcing the participation of 'A2-B-C' in the 2013 Newburyport Documentary Film Festival (September 20-22).  This small but beautifully curated festival takes place in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and details on the screening times and locations can be found  by clicking below:

 

On a roll...

Hot on the heels of the announcement yesterday of the Japan Premier of "A2-B-C" (details HERE), I am deeply honoured to be able to announce TWO MORE upcoming screenings of the film.

"A2-B-C" will be screened at the Guam International Film Festival on September 28 (screening details HERE).

"A2-B-C" will also be screened at the Cincinnati Film Film Festival (USA) which takes place from September 5-15 (screening details HERE).

May I spill the beans now, please?

Sometimes film festivals honour a filmmaker by giving them an "early decision"; that is, informing them that their film has been accepted into the festival long before the official announcement.  This can even be so early that when the festival offers this early decision they may actually still be accepting submissions.

While receiving an early decision from a festival greatly helps a filmmaker begin to make travel plans and preparations, it comes with a strict condition:  the filmmaker is forbidden to announce acceptance into the festival until after the official press release announcing the line-up of films is released by the festival itself.  This can mean a tough few weeks (or even months) of keeping quiet as a filmmaker knows about upcoming screenings but is not allowed to talk about them.  

So many people who have been supporting my work on 'A2-B-C' (WEBSITE) have been asking me when the film is going to be screened in Japan.  The truth is that I've known about the Japan premier of the film for a while now but have not been able to talk about it until today:

Today, on the same day as the North American Premier of 'A2-B-C' is being held (HERE), the official announcement of the full line-up of films that will take part in the 35th annual PIA Film Festival in Tokyo was made, and I am extremely honoured that among those films is the Japan Premier of 'A2-B-C'.

And watch this space:  there are at least a few more things that I'll finally be able to talk about over the coming days and weeks...