Tōhoku Documentary Trilogy
This program is presented by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Part of the UCLA Film & Television Archive screening series Ryusuke Hamaguchi: Early Works. Learn more at cinema.ucla.edu.
In March 2011, the largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan rocked the northern coastal Tōhoku region followed soon after by a devastating tsunami. The dual natural disaster triggered the Fukushima nuclear accident and left almost 20,000 people dead, caused billions of dollars in damage and disrupted lives and communities forever. Just six months later, directors Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Ko Sakai began a two-year project to create an oral history of the disaster. Eschewing footage of the events, Hamaguchi and Sakai spoke with dozens of survivors, young and old, first responders, politicians and everyday citizens. In the resulting trilogy (divided into four parts), they recount stories from the day but also reflect on the ethical concerns it raised, the responsibility of the individual in moments of crisis to themselves, their loved ones and their community. For their part, Hamaguchi and Sakai restrict themselves to simple camera setups that nevertheless reveal a continued exploration of how framing and editing impact our perceptions of reality, narrative and the overlap between them. Presented here in its entirety, the Tōhoku Documentary Trilogy will include intermission and meal breaks between films.
The Sound of Waves (Nami no Oto) (2012)
Directors: Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Ko Sakai.
Voices From the Waves - Kesennuma (2013)
Directors: Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Ko Sakai.
Voices From the Waves - Shinchimachi (2013)
Directors: Ko Sakai, Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
Storytellers (2013)
Directors: Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Ko Sakai.
The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a division of UCLA Library, and presents its public programs in the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer, among other venues. For more information about the Archive, visit cinema.ucla.edu.
ATTENDING THIS PROGRAM?
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