From the Office of Global Communications, Prime Minister‘s Office Tohoku recovery support video released to the world!
Film festival president Tetsuya Bessho introduces the short films produced through Tohoku regional collaboration
“I wanted to make a short film that captures the voices of people living in the Tohoku area after the earthquake.”
SSFF & ASIA cooperated a short movie TOHOKU Revival: “Passion, Mission, Action,” in support of the reconstruction of Tohoku after the Great East Japan Earthquake, produced by the Office of Global Communications, Prime Minister‘s Office and introduced SSFF & ASIA’s production projects of short films “Piece of the Future” and “The Old Woman Skin” which were both set in Tohoku and collaborated with the local community .
The movie had been released to the world on November 20th.
Reconstruction of Tohoku cannot be achieved with economic support and infrastructure re-development alone. The films contain the message, ”It is only through art and culture that people can have a sense of purpose in living. Art and culture have that power.”
With the cases of the regional collaboration of Pokemon that touches people’s hearts and colors their lives through railways, parks and local specialties and the Sanriku Arts Festival, where local communities themselves stand up to create energy and excitement, SSFF & ASIA’s short film production with the involvement of local people are introduced in the video.
Bessho talked about the efforts he has made to support recovery efforts through film festivals and short films saying, “As film festival organizers and actors, we thought about what we could do. I felt that because it was a film with a short production period, it would be able to project the “now” of the region. I wanted to create a work that utilizes the voices of Tohoku people”.
“Art creates happiness, its continuation becomes culture. The message concludes with the message, “Let’s create smiles together through imagination and creativity. Passion leads to mission and then action, you can see the passionate thoughts of everyone aiming to rebuild Tohoku through art.”