… because they’d all left Japan and never returned.” 1
Satomi recalls the tsunami in Fukushima.
The event began with a film screening of Grüße aus Fukushima, also known as Fukushima, Mon Amour. Written and directed by Doris Dörrie, this 2016 German film centers on Marie (Rosalie Thomass) and Satomi (Kaori Momoi) within the triple disaster landscape of Fukushima.
Dörrie shot the film inside Fukushima’s Exclusion Zone shortly after the nuclear disaster.
Above, Fukushima residents billow trash bags in a meditative act. Below, countless bags filled with radiated soil permanently lie in Fukushima.
Dörrie: “I wanted to know what it feels like when everything around you is radioactive – what do you do? What is it like when everything is gone?” 2
Since its premiere, Grüße aus Fukushima has won five awards and four nominations.
In turns a documentary, in turns a meditation on philosophies, and even in turns of whimsy, Grüße aus Fukushima created a space for our audience to discuss questions on nuclear futures, the role of the government, the lingering ghosts of the dead, the meta-theatricality of performance, and the sanctity of space and home and time which can all compress into a single cup of tea.
Past Flyer
- Dörrie talks about the film’s inspiration, From SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 27/09/2016 ↩
- From Euronews, 15/02/2016 ↩