Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Three screenings, three countries

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.

Monday, May 23, 2016

Young woman from Fukushima speaks out 原発事故当時15歳女性の証言

(日本語下記)

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.

Peace,
Ian Thomas Ash

    このインタビュー映像は2016年2月12日に福島県で撮影されました。(ビデオこちら
 本人の了解を得た上でこのインタビューを公開しています。
 原発事故当時18歳以下だった福島県住民のうち、甲状腺がんおよびその疑いのある患者の人数は166名(2016年2月現在)に上ります。彼女はその中の1人です。
 福島県は当時18歳以下だった住民を対象に無料で定期的に甲状腺検査を実施していますが、1巡目(平成23~平成25年度実施)では18.8%の人が検査を受けていません*。
 2巡目(平成26~平成27年度実施)の検査結果はまだ出揃っていませんが、県による検査を受けない人の割合は年々増加しており、平成27年度(12月31日現在)では50.7%にのぼります**。特に、18~21歳(平成26年4月1日時点での年齢)の年齢階級では未受診率が74.5%という状況になっています**。
 彼女がインタビューの公開に応じてくれたのは、こうした検査を受けていない人たちに検査を受けてほしいという思いがあるからです。

彼女の話の要点は以下の通りです。
  1. 彼女は甲状腺がんの手術以降疲れやすくなった。
  2. 彼女は手術以降、精神的不安を感じることがあった。
  3. 彼女には気軽に相談できる医師がいなかった。
  4. 彼女は他の子ども達が自分と同じ甲状腺がんを患ってほしくないと思っている。
  5. 彼女は福島に暮らす若者に、病気を早期発見し適切に処置するために、県が行う甲状腺検査を受診してほしいと思っている。
  6. 彼女は将来子供を持つとき、その子の健康への影響に不安を感じている。
原発事故・甲状腺がんについて公に話すことが難しい空気になってる中、このインタビューを公開することによって、彼女の仕事や家族、友人関係など日常生活に悪影響が及ぶ危険があります。 彼女のプライバシーを尊重してくださいますようお願いします。
 その上で慎重に考えた結果、次の理由から彼女の話を広く共有すべきだと思いました。
 1と2について:福島県立医大は、甲状腺がんは死ぬことはない病気であり、福島県民に対して、たとえ甲状腺がんと診断されたとしても心配する必要はないと主張しています。しかしこのインタビューから明らかに手術後の患者の状態がそれほど単純なものではないとわかります。患者は手術後、甲状腺がんが治った後ですら様々な身体的、精神的困難を経験しやすいのです。
 3について:福島県立医大の医師は患者との間に十分な人間関係を築けていません。これは重大な問題です。特に患者の多くが若年であることを考えると、医療面と精神面の両面でより注意深く継続的なケアが必要です。
 4と5について:彼女は福島に暮らす若者、子供、その親たちに対して、甲状腺検査を定期的に受けつづけてほしいという力強いメッセージを発しています。
 私の願いは、自分の経験や意見を発信する彼女の勇気が、他の人にもまた勇気を与えることです。

彼らのことが忘れられないように。ともに支え合えるように。この悲劇がこれ以上繰り返されないように。

イアン・トーマス・アッシュ

これまで福島県県民健康調査が実施した甲状腺検査の結果は次のウェブサイトから見られます:

 福島県HP県民健康調査課 http://www.pref.fukushima.lg.jp/sec/21045b/

* 県民健康調査「甲状腺検査(先行検査)」結果概要【結果概要】
http://www.pref.fukushima.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/107580.pdf

** 県民健康調査「甲状腺検査(本格検査)」実施状況 http://www.pref.fukushima.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/151272.pdf

Monday, May 16, 2016

Fukushima: A Nuclear Story

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

Tuesday, May 03, 2016

In memory of Mr. Hata (1946-2016)

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.

In memory of Mr Hata. (1946-2016).
https://storify.com/DocumentingIan

Monday, April 11, 2016

Mr. Hata and T, a dying father reunites with his son after thirty years

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:
https://storify.com/DocumentingIan/mr-hata-and-t-a-reunion-after-30

 ****** May 3, 2016, UPDATE *****

In memory of Mr Hata (1946-2016)
read story HERE

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Another year, another anniversary

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...

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Screenings, Effect

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.

Photo from Suzuki Yohei


Friday, March 11, 2016

Five years.

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.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Progress in working

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.
Peace,
Ian 
Tokyo, Japan

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Here we go again...

I can hardly believe it myself, but since entering the edit suite 30 days ago after finishing my NHK television documentary "Dying at Home" (INFO), I am already getting ready to complete my next feature documentary (!).  With the amazing help of my assistant, Rei (along with plenty of coffee, chocolate and little sleep), we have met a deadline that at one point, as recently as the New Year, did not seem achievable.  We have just now finished the subtitles and the file for screening is currently compressing.  And just in time- we fly to Europe the day after tomorrow where we are screening it on Saturday.


With the working title of 「せざるを得ない」 ("Seizaruwoenai" or "Unavoidable" in English), the 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).  I am still working on the trailer, final title, website, synopsis information and the plan for releasing the film, but I look forward to sharing more news about the film in the coming months.

While it is still not completely finished, a work-in-progress screening will be held on Saturday (Feb 27) in Berlin 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).

Not wanting for the first time for me to see it to be in a room full of delegates at the congress, I have also arranged a small preview screening in Tokyo tomorrow evening (Feb 24 DETAILS).

After attending the congress in Berlin, we will fly to Ireland, where I will be presenting some of my work and giving lectures in Cork on March 1 and 2 (INFO) and then in Dublin on March 3 (INFO).

These screenings will 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.  Thank you all so very much for your support and encouragement over these five years.

Saturday, February 20, 2016

'-1287' awarded Best Doc at 2016 SoCal FF

The past month has seen me editing faster, longer and for more consecutive days than I have for a while.  Editing is different from directing, and this time in the edit suite has reminded me how much I love editing.  While there have been some sacrifices, like having the time to correspond in a timely manner--- my apologies, I will reply to you all soon!  ;) --- I am looking forward to sharing more about what I am working on in the coming days.

In the meantime, I woke up this morning to the humbling news that my feature documentary '-1287' (WEBSITE) was awarded Best Documentary in the 2016 SoCal Film Festival (festival notice here).


Friday, February 05, 2016

MC FCCJ IPPNW FK5/ CH30

It was my honor to serve as the MC for yesterday's  press conference "The Risk of Low Dose Radiation" given by Angelika Claussen, Medical Doctor & European vice-president of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW).  Held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ press release HERE), Dr. Claussen presented her research about the Ukraine, Belarus and Eastern Europe following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, as well as her work pertaining to the Fukushima nuclear disaster.  Dr. Claussen's trip to Japan was arranged ahead of the IPPNW's upcoming publication "5 years living with Fukushima - 30 years living with Chernobyl".  

The full video of the press conference can be found HERE and below.


Monday, January 18, 2016

Juggling film

Working on several films simultaneously is like a juggling act, and trying to switch the gears in my head quickly between projects can be quite challenging.  While my aim is to never drop one of the balls, I am also not always able to follow them as they orbit through the air.

An example of this is when I am not able to accompany one of my films to screenings abroad.  While the past three years have seen me traveling abroad nearly every month for screenings in international festivals and conferences, 2016 will see me locked down in the edit suite for the most part as I am currently in post-production for three different feature documentaries that I have been working on for the past several years in the background between trips abroad.

Although I will not be there in person, I will be there in spirit for these upcoming screenings of my film '-1287' (2014).  It is such an honour that this film continues to be programmed and resonate with audiences around the world.  Thank you all so very much for your support!

Detailed information about '-1287' and these upcoming screenings can be found on the film's website (HERE).


NEW YORK
Snowtown Film Festival
Watertown, NY, January 29-30, 2016
January 30 at 11:00AM

OREGON
Lane Honors Program, Lane Community College
Eugene, Oregon,
February 3 at 4:30PM

CALIFORNIA
SoCal Film Fest
Huntington Beach, California, February 10-13, 2016
February 11 at 4PM

TAIWAN
Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival Tour
Various cities, Taiwan, March-June 2016
Screening cities, dates and times TBA

========================== January 24, 2016 UPDATE =====================

Ahead of the screening in Snowtown Film Festival, THIS article was published in my hometown newspaper, the Watertown Daily Times.

 

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Dying at Home

 ***** UPDATE January 28, 2016 at 22:00 START *****

"Dying at Home" is now available to watch FREE online worldwide until February 10, 2016 on the NHK World website (HERE).   Thank you all so much for watching and for your support!


http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/vod/insidelens/20160127.html

 ***** UPDATE January 28, 2016 at 22:00 END *****

It has already been a wonderful but busy start to the new year.  After the winter break split between visits with family in the US and Japan, I was back to work on the documentary program commissioned by NHK World.  I have been working on the film, called "Dying at Home", since last summer, and we locked picture on it last month (STORY).  Last week, we completed the English subtitles for the film, and the materials for the PR of the film were prepared.  The 28-minute program, about Dr. Konta, a home physician in Fukushima, will be premiering across the globe on NHK World on January 27 (more info on that below).

Not wanting to lose momentum, I traveled back to Fukushima last weekend to continue filming for the feature version of the film.  While the 28-minute version documents the time I spent with Dr. Konta over five months last year, the feature version will document an entire year of home visits with her patients over the backdrop of Mount Bandai and Lake Inawashiro changing colours across four gorgeous seasons.

Photo from this week's shoot in Fukushima, courtesy Dr. Konta's Facebook page
Although the 28-minute version will only be screening on NHK World, "Dying at Home" will be featured on NHK 1, the main channel in Japan, on a show called "Doki Doki World TV".  Filmed in November (PHOTOS), that program will be airing this coming Sunday (Jan 17) at 10:40pm on NHK1 (INFO).


"Dying at Home" be screening four times on January 26/ 27/ 28 (depending on your time zone), and can be viewed across the globe via LIVE streaming on the NHK World website (info and schedule HERE).   Thank you all so very much for your support!

Broadcast Schedule JST (Japan) 
  • Wed, Jan 27 at 8:30
  • Wed, Jan 27 at 14:30
  • Wed, Jan 27 at 21:30
  • Thurs, Jan 28 at 2:30
***** The above website should list the schedule for the timezone in which it is accessed.  For times on the NHK World channel, please check the local listings. *****



 ***** UPDATE January 17, 2016 at 23:00 *****

Here are some stills from tonight's broadcast of Doki Doki World TV on which I appeared to promote the upcoming broadcast of "Dying at Home":