New guest blog published by Discovery News

Today Discovery News published my guest blog, "Fukushima Nuclear Ghost Town's Secrets Revealed".  The article and accompanying short documentaries can be found here.

I am honoured to receive this support and encouragement and am grateful for the exposure that this gives not only to my work but also to the issues that continue to plague Fukushima.

Back to the US*

I'm off today to the US for a couple of weeks to visit family and friends, and of course, to attend the World Premier of "In the Grey Zone" at the 30th annual Rhode Island International Film Festival (August 7-11).

More information on the festival screening can be found on the film's festival page here.

*SR not included in this trip.

Nice article, bad photo editing

Jefferson Community College (JCC) in Watertown, New York, from which I graduated in 1998, has just published a very nice article about my film work since March 2011 in their quarterly alumni magazine "Jefferson Insider".

A downloadable PDF version of the magazine can be found here, and the article is on page 25.  

The article is accompanied by an old photo of me that I have no idea how they got their hands on (why didn't they just ask me to send them a HQ resolution recent photo?).  The photo it is uncredited (it was taken in Croatia five years ago during a film festival where one of my previous films was screened), and it appears that they have edited it in such a way as to completely blur out my face (!).  Um, should I read something into that?

Here it is:

Posting the Poster

The posters just arrived for the World Premier of my doc "In the Grey Zone".  For more information about the screenings, please click the poster below:

"In Containment" (part 5 of 5) uploaded

I just uploaded both the English and French versions of the conclusion (part 5 of 5) of my documentary "In Containment".  Will write more about this series as soon as I gather my thoughts.

English-subtitled version:

French-subtitled version:

"In Containment" (Part 4) uploaded

I have just uploaded the fourth installment of "In Containment", and am now busily editing the final part.

Already part 4 has received a lot of comments- most of which I try to respond to- and it has been interesting to see how different this part in particular is being received.

Preview Screening of "In the Grey Zone" at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan

There will be a preview screening of my documentary "In the Grey Zone" followed by a press conference on Tuesday, July 24 from 18:00 at the Foreign Correspondents'  Club of Japan in Tokyo.

Journalists can RSVP directly through the FCCJ, and non-journalists can attend as my guest.

The full press release can be seen by clicking the photo below:

New HD TRAILER for "In the Grey Zone" uploaded

In preparation for the World Premier of "Gurei Zoun No Naka" (In the Grey Zone") at the Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival next month (film page here), I have just uploaded a new trailer for the film:

The original trailer was uploaded on May 30 of last year (!), before I had even finished the assembly of the film.  As happens with trailers that are edited before the film is finished, the original trailer contains scenes and interviews with some people that didn't end up making it into the final film.  Not to mention that the original working title was "Killing the Darlings of Minamisoma"... very glad we didn't end up going with that one!  I won't re-post that version of the trailer here, but for anyone who is interested, it is hidden away somewhere on my YouTube Channel.

"In Containment" (part 3) uploaded

I have just posted the 3rd installment of "In Containment".  I look forward to reflecting here on what I have learned through the making of this documentary and some of the stories surrounding the filming of it, but first I must just keep plugging away at the editing of the final two sections. 

Part 3 STORY:  Hiroshi takes Ian into Odaka, the southern-most part of Minamisoma which is between 10 to 20 km from the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima.  After the nuclear meltdown Odaka was evacuated and became part of exclusion zone, and since access has only recently been allowed, much of the destruction remains exactly as it was after the earthquake and tsunami.  Ian speaks with a resident of Odaka about the current state of limbo they are in and their fears for the future.  Later, on his way to the exclusion zone, just 10 km from the nuclear plant, Ian meets a woman and her father who are also heading to the no-go zone to visit their home for the first time since the disaster.

The place where I am from.

I was born in Watertown, NY, USA, and although I moved around a LOT as a child (Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and many other towns in New York State), I eventually found my way back to Watertown where I graduated high school and attended community college.

My friend's parents from those college days just sent me a link to this short documentary about Watertown, NY.  The emphasis is on the city's relationship with Fort Drum, but the images and people are what really warms my heart.

"In Containment" Part 2 uploaded

I have just uploaded part 2 of "In Containment", about the current situation in Minamisoma, Fukushima.

When I was in Minamisoma last month filming this series, I heard that National Diet member Shinjiro Koizumi (son of former Japanese prime minister Koizumi) was in town to conduct an inspection of the evacuation zone.  He was also visiting some temporary shops set up for the evacuees of the March 11 disaster, so I went there to meet and interview him.   While there, I felt he was displaying questionable demeanor towards the victims, so later I went to interview the evacuee who was chosen to give Koizumi flowers during his visit and was on the receiving end of his brand of humour to ask her what she thought of his visit.  

At the end of Part 2, Hiroshi, whom some of you may recognize from the documentaries I filmed in Minamisoma last year, prepares to take me into the 10km evacuation zone.

Heated Debate

Shortly after I published Part 1 of "In Containment" yesterday, ENENews.com published a link to it.  The editor, Grant, did what editor's do and headlined the most shocking details revealed in the documentary:

ENENews.com

Each of the two days since the article was published, literally thousands of people have read it.  To date there are nearly 90 comments, and trust me, the debate going on there is not for the faint-hearted.  

I am grateful for the opportunity to have my work viewed, discussed, and above all, to be one of the resources letting people know that the situation in Fukushima is far from over.

"In Containment", part 1 of new series uploaded

In addition to filming in Iitate Village last month (see: "Nuclear Refugees") I also spent a week in Minamisoma documenting the ongoing crises there 15 months after the nuclear meltdown.  I am still editing the footage, but it looks like it will be a 5-part series, with each part between 6-8 minutes.

Part 1 (uploaded late last night) opens with people in the city of Minamisoma, Fukushima remembering the victims of the tsunami fifteen months after the March 11 disaster.  I then visit the former site of the 20 km exclusion zone where I am questioned by a police officer.  Later, citizens of Minamisoma share the personal struggles they continue to face.

It is this last section, where a group of young people get together and are talking about some of the things they are going through, that was the most disturbing for me.  Until now, I haven't really had a chance to talk with 20-somethings, particularly women, as many of them had been evacuated, and those that remained were unwilling to talk about the difficult decision they had made to continue to stay.

What I found the most shocking was what the women were thinking and doing, given the lack of information from the central government about their safety.  It is truly disturbing.

Waiting to understand

On May 11, 2011, I read this article (originally in the Irish Times) by David McNeill about the evacuation of the village of Iitate, Fukushima, two months after the nuclear meltdown.  As soon as I read it, I knew I needed to go Iitate to try to help document what was happening.  I called David and he kindly put me in touch with Shoji-san (the farmer he interviewed for his article) so I could set up an interview.

Iitate lies some 40 km from the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima and was therefore outside of the official evacuation zone (within 20 km of the plant).  However, because of wind direction, it quickly became clear that the radiation had spread far beyond the original evacuation zone and was posing a threat to the villagers of Iitate.

Yet it took the government two months to act.  Two months of the villagers believing they were OK because they were outside of 20 km.  Two months that their children were not evacuated and exposed to dangerous levels of radiation.

In May of last year, my Japanese cameraman, Koji, and I filmed in Iitate for a week, and it was a hectic, scary and confusing time.

We documented many difficult and important stories, but the footage somehow lacked the context it needed to make sense to outsiders.  I, myself, didn't have the knowledge to fully understand some of the things we witnessed at that time.

As a result, I decided to not use the footage from Iitate right away.  I simply allowed it to stay in the background of my brain (and heart) until the right time when it would speak to me and I would understand.

This month I spent time in the city of Minamisoma, Fukushima, working on the story of the children living there, and on the way back the village of Iitate, now deserted, called to me.  It was when I went there this month, one year after the evacuation, that I was able to process what I had witnessed last year.

The result is my new short documentary, "Nuclear Refugees", that I posted yesterday.  Shoji-san, the farmer interviewed in David's article, is the farmer who appears at the very end of the film.

scene from "Nuclear Refugees: the people of Iitate"

Nuclear Refugees: the people of Iitate Village, one year later

I am just back from another trip to Fukushima to document the ongoing situation following the nuclear disaster.  While I wish I could find a way to write more updates here as I am experiencing and filming, I generally find it too difficult to put into words what I am witnessing as I am witnessing it.

Even after I am back, I seem to retreat into a cocoon as I edit; for it is only after I finish editing that I have begun to process what I have witnessed and can then begin to talk about it.  

"Nuclear Refugees: the people of Iitate Village" is the first of the short documentary films I shot last week, and I will posting several more over the next couple of weeks.  The link and a short description can be found below:

"Nuclear Refugees, the people of Iitate Village, one year later" (2012/ Japan/ 18 minutes)

producer/ camera Koji Fujita 藤田　浩二
director/ editor Ian Thomas Ash

STORY:  In May 2011, two months after the nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, the entire village of Iitate was evacuated.  This documentary combines interviews with the villagers as they are preparing for evacuation, along with footage of the village filmed one year after evacuation. 

BACKGROUND: For two months after the nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, the people of Iitate Village, 40 km from the damaged nuclear plant, were exposed to high levels of radiation due to the wind direction.  The village was outside the official evacuation zone (20 km from the plant) and the villagers were not put under orders to stay indoors (such as the area 20-30 km from the plant).  As a result, the villagers, and their children, remained in Iitate until the government eventually ordered them to evacuate two months after the meltdown.

Fukushima scrennings and updates

A few weeks ago, I received an invitation to show my film "In the Grey Zone" in international competition later this summer.  I have been holding off letting people know about it until I have more details, but knowing that we have at least one screening confirmed has made the continuing process of festival submission somewhat less stressful.

I will be posting more as soon as I receive the details of the World Premier of "In the Grey Zone", my feature documentary about the children living in the radiation zone 20-30 km from the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima (website here and trailer here).

Since finishing "In the Grey Zone", I have continued to travel to Fukushima to film updates on the continuing situation, with Discovery News publishing my guest blogs at six-months (here) and one-year  (here).

This week, I am again in Fukushima to film an update.  This time, however, my focus is markedly different.  While my main focus has always been (and continues to be) what is happening to the people, this time I am filming in a place where there are no people: in the exclusion zone itself.

There is a connection between this no-go area and the people who live right on its border.  The border itself is well-marked and the crossing of it by people is well-monitored (it is illegal to cross it without special permission).  Yet radiation flows unmolested across this line, not stopping for the laws made by men.

How is crossing the border going to help me to understand this continuing problem and the affects on those living so close to it?  I look forward to discovering and sharing with you that answer. 

Documenting Reality: The Glass House

I never thought I would be blogging about an American reality television show (even though reality TV is non-fiction and technically part of the documentary family).  However, I have just learned that I have personal connection to the upcoming reality TV show "The Glass House" (premiering on June 18 on ABC in America).

My cousin, Erica, has been chosen as one of the 14 contestants on the series premier.  I can't wait to hear all about the experience (from a documentary stand point, of course) after she is back.  

I have never found myself recommending a reality TV show, but Erica is hilarious, smart and beautiful so for those of you in the US, I have a feeling that this show is going to be good!

Erica on ABC's "The Glass House"

Update and Cardboard Arcade

As I continue to work on the film festival submissions for my film "In the Grey Zone" and the editing for my new film "-1287" (working title), there isn't much news to report. 

However, I would like to share with you a short documentary that I come across today via The BBC World Service's Global News Podcast.  Called "Caine's Arcade" and directed by Nirvan Mullick, it is eleven minutes of pure joy to watch.  

If you need a good cry (the good kind that comes from happiness), then I highly recommend it.  It's a wonderful example of how film can be used for good; the college scholarship fund for the little boy featured in the film has already reached over $200,000 (here).

Now we're cooking with... Ian

Last year, I directed a documentary series for cable TV called "It's Ian.  I'm home!" (it sounds much better in Japanese).  Season 1 ran from July 2011 and finished last month.

Fortunately, we were commissioned to do a second season... but with a catch:  it would be turned into a cooking show called "Ian's Kitchen" (that story is here).

Season 2 Episode 1 premiers this week on cable TV in a prime time slot during the Golden Week holidays (a great time to air, second only to the New Year holidays).

More information on the program and schedule can be found on the TV station website, here:

Nakagawa Cable TV website

And I can't resist posting these cute cartoons of me cooking that are being used in the opening credit sequence.

My first post-3.11 film

MY WORK ON 3.11

Over the past year, my work has been mainly trying to help tell the story of what was happening in Japan surrounding the events of March 11.  

I started filming soon after the disaster, and in addition to my early short documentaries about Tokyo (here), I traveled to the tsunami-ravaged city of Ishinomaki (here) and to the radiation-affected city of Minamisoma (here) where I also filmed the feature documentary "In the Grey Zone".  

Six months after the crises, I traveled back to Minamisoma to film an update (here), and then went back a year later to film another follow-up documentary (here).

IN THE BACKGROUND

Quietly in the background, I have been working on another documentary film for the past four years.  The film began when my friend, Kazuko, told me she was dying.  Her doctor had told her that at best she had three or four years left to live.  She struggled with knowing that she was going to die, but knew that she had no time to waste.  

We talked often, and I eventually asked her if we could film her story.  For four years, we discussed love, life, marriage, raising children, money... and of course, life and death.  I was fascinated by the way Kazuko's description of the things she was thinking changed over time.  And I was deeply moved when she shared with me what the process of making the film itself had meant to her, particularly in the last months of her life.

Kazuko died two weeks ago.

A NEW FILM

Since Kazuko's death, I have been working almost exclusively on editing the film about her, and I have found that the process of editing has helped me to sort through difficult feelings of sadness.  I learned so much through my friendship with Kazuko and through the making of this film.  I feel honoured to have been able to record her story and my hope is that it will hold deep meaning for those who watch it.

The film is tentatively called "-1287", and I am now working on the post-production.  I don't know what the overall length will end up being, but it looks like it will be feature-length (over an hour).  In the meantime, I have just finished the trailer (below).