3.11: Surviving Japan

3.11: Surviving Japan is a documentary film about the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan written and directed by volunteer and resident Christopher Noland.

3.11: Surviving Japan
Film poster
Directed byChristopher Noland
Produced bySimon Hilton
Written byChristopher Noland
Starring
  • Kouichi Oyama
  • Chris Noland
  • Helen Caldicott(archive)
  • Yumie Keller
  • Hisako Miura
  • Yuka Nihei
  • Kimiaki Toda
  • Katsunobu Sakurai
Narrated byChristopher Noland
Music byYoko Ono, Joel F. Wilson, Dimiter Yordanov
CinematographyChristopher Noland
Edited by
  • Andrea Hale
  • MB X. McClain
Production
company
3.11 Productions, Inc
Distributed by3.11 Productions, inc (USA and Worldwide), Stand, Inc and Eleven Arts JP (Japan, Taiwan)
Release date
  • March 10, 2012 (2012-03-10) (Simon Fraser University)
  • March 11, 2013 (2013-03-11)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryJapan, USA
LanguageEnglish/Japanese

Synopsis

The film spans from March 11, 2001 to September 19, 2011, starting with Noland's own experience in the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster followed by volunteer activities in Ofunato.[1] After meeting with volunteers and residents of the affected region that stated huge oversights in the disaster management, Noland continued to volunteer while going on an investigative journey through the Tōhoku region. He set out to Minamisōma, Fukushima near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to speak to the Mayor who had appeared on YouTube with a distress call that the Japanese Government had neglected the town during the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.[2] He then returned north to the Miyagi Prefecture to interview officials about the crisis management of the tsunami victims.[3]

While on the same food delivery mission that May, he met a woman in Ishinomaki that had been denied food and shelter stating she felt "thrown away as a Japanese citizen which led him to further investigate and document the events.[4]

Noland went back to Tokyo, where he interviewed Tokyo electric power company in an effort to gain a better understanding of the impact of the disaster.[5] Unsatisfied with the little amount of information, he went on to interview more residents who shared the same frustration.[6]

In June Noland returned to the Tōhoku region to volunteer and see how the people, communities, officials and cities were coping with the rebuilding efforts and Radiation.[7] He spent the entire summer visiting the largely hit communities of Miyako, Kamaishi, back to Ōfunato, Rikuzentakata, Kesennuma, Minami Sanriku and Ishinomaki,[4] which led him to further investigate and document the events.[8]

By August Noland saw another distress call from Minamisōma again on YouTube, this time from a city councilman.[9] Noland contacted the councilman through the volunteer network and arranged a meeting after checking on citizens affected by high levels of Radiation in Fukushima city and Kōriyama. It was Noland's conclusion that despite everything, the most important thing was the children's safety in the Radioactive contamination and further awareness of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster that he felt the media had ignored.

Making appearances in the film are Helen Caldicott, founder of PSR; professor Cham Dallas a disaster management specialist; Kimiaki Toda, Mayor of Ofunato; Tokyo Electric Power Company, owner and operator of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant; Katsunobu Sakurai, Mayor of Minamisōma and Kouichi Oyama, City Councilman of Minamisōma.

Production

3.11: Surviving Japan was conceived, directed, filmed and narrated by Christopher Noland. Executive producer was Simon Hilton; producers were Q'orianka Kilcher, Dave Parrish and Christopher Noland; Cinematographer was Christopher Noland; editing was done by Christopher Noland, MB X. McClain and Andrea Hale; sound editor and mixer Scott Delaney; Soundtrack contribution of "Kurushi" by Yoko Ono.

The documentary was made in exactly one year. Noland began the project as a one-man crew until September when he was joined by MB X. McClain to edit over 100 hours of footage down to 180 minutes until Noland moved back to the United States in late November to finish post-production with editor Andrea Hale. Noland credits the moral support of Yoko Ono, Simon Hilton, and Imaginepeace.com for their undying support during his one-man production.[1]

3.11: Surviving Japan had its first pre-screening at Simon Fraser University on March 10, 2012 for the one-year anniversary of the disaster.[8][10] The film was Officially released on March 11, 2013 and Premiered at Laemmle Noho 7 Theatre North Hollywood, CA with coverage by NHK World and AMC Theatres in San Diego, San Francisco and New York City.[11][12][13][14] The film Premiered in Osaka, Japan at Cinema 7 in 2014.

Reception

3.11 Surviving Japan was immediately picked up by Yoko Ono's Imagine Peace Website,[15] won the Indiewire project of the week,[16] and Noland won the YouTube Nextup Contest in 2011 using clips from the film. CBC Radio's The Current CBC Television interviewed Yumie Keller, an evacuee from Minamisōma who appeared in the film.[17][18][6]

The film received a deluge of press from Vancouver, Canada and Noland's birthplace in Washington state.[17][18][19][20][21][22][23] Noland was interviewed on television by NBC King5 Seattle, NHK World News, and RT News. NHK did a feature segment which appeared on the Japanese 11'oclock News on the 2nd Anniversary of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami.[24] The Premiere was in the LAWeekly and was promoted by Yoko Ono, Q'orianka Kilcher and Jared Leto for the Los Angeles Premiere.[25]

The film is also available in The Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival archive as an educational and historical documentary.

References
  1. "Imagine Peace". Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  2. "SOS from Mayor of Minami Soma City, next to the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, Japan". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  3. "Scene from "Surviving Japan " Sendai City Disaster prevention office". YouTube. 2011-11-03. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  4. "Official Trailer". Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  5. "Clip From "Surviving Japan" TEPCO Interview". YouTube. 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  6. "CBC Connect". 2012-03-09. CBC Television. Missing or empty |series= (help)
  7. King, Anna, Washington man directs new Japan disaster documentary, retrieved 20 March 2012
  8. Hunter, Brock, Film maker finds unique way to explain the Japan disaster., retrieved 20 March 2012
  9. "SOS Again from Minamisoma, Fukushima (en)". YouTube. 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  10. Johnson, Gail, Vancouver Fukushima forum weighs nuclear risk with our health, retrieved 20 March 2012
  11. "3.11: Surviving Japan - North Hollywood Tickets". tugg.com. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  12. "3.11: Surviving Japan - San Diego Tickets". tugg.com. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  13. "3.11: Surviving Japan - San Francisco Tickets". tugg.com. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  14. "3.11: Surviving Japan - New York Tickets". tugg.com. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  15. "On the anniversary of 3/11: SURVIVING JAPAN – UPDATE from Director Chris Noland – IMAGINE PEACE". imaginepeace.com. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  16. Renninger, Bryce J. (2012-01-19). "Congrats to 'Surviving Japan,' IW's Project of the Week!". IndieWire. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  17. "Mothers of Fukushima against Nuclear power". The Current. 2012-03-07. CBC Radio.
  18. "The winter that wasn't: Bird migration". The Current. 2012-03-07. CBC Radio.
  19. Woo, Andrea (2012-03-12). "Nuclear plant crisis far from over: activist". Vancouversun.com. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  20. "バンクーバーで福島原発事故を振り返るカンファレンス－日本からもビデオ講演 - バンクーバー経済新聞". Vancouver.keizai.biz. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  21. King, Anna (2012-03-09). "Washington Man Directs New Japan Disaster Documentary". NPR. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  22. Ostrom, Carol M. (13 March 2012). "Nobel winner Caldicott here for Japan nuclear crisis anniversary". The Seattle Times.
  23. "Washington Man Directs New Japan Disaster Documentary | KPLU News for Seattle and the Northwest". Kplu.org. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  24. 311 Productions, Inc. (2016-04-06), NHK News on 3 11 Surviving Japan NHK ニュース サバイバル・ジャパン～3 11の真実～, retrieved 2018-09-08
  25. "3.11: Surviving Japan". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
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