On Mar. 8, “Iwaki Note (FUKUSHIMA VOICE) x City of Creativity” was held at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa in Ishikawa prefecture. The screenings were carried out twice a day (with Japanese subtitles), in the morning and in the afternoon, and after the screening, “Fukushima-na! (Green Vegetables)”, a collaborative event with the farmers of Iwaki, who were in the movie, was held. Many people from in and out of Kanazawa city came to the venue, and the movie was seen by 36 people in the morning and 34 people in the afternoon.
After the screenings, the student directors, Chiba, Kinusa Suzuki and Tachibana, each spoke about what was on their minds. I spoke about my thoughts in planning the screening in Kanazawa and asked the viewers to feel the creativity of the people who live in the disaster-stricken areas.
At the “Fukushima-na! (Green Vegetables)” event after the screenings, a tasting party of foods made in collaboration with the farmers of Iwaki, who appeared in the movie, was held. The visitors, while they enjoyed tasting the foods, also actively engaged in conversation with the student directors and exchanged views and comments. Of the things the visitors mentioned, the following left an impression, “Watching the smiles and positive words of the people of Iwaki who appeared in the interviews, in fact, gave me courage. I wish you the best and keep working hard so that the catastrophic earthquake won’t fade into oblivion”. It was 4 years ago today that the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred. I would like us all to continue our efforts to show the movie, “Iwaki Note (FUKUSHIMA VOICE)”, in many parts of the country and around the world.
I would like to thank everyone at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art who agreed to co-host the screening, the members of the local staff who helped us, and the people of Ishikawa prefecture who came to the screening!
(Tachibana, 3rd Year at School of Art & Design)