Introduction
The city of Iwaki is located in the southern part of Fukushima prefecture and is the city closest to Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. It is a town known for its past-prosperity as a coal-mining town and for the movie, “Hula Girls”. Four hundred forty six people became victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the city has accepted over 20,000 evacuees from the towns and villages around Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
The “Mirai Kaigi (Future Meeting) in Iwaki” is being held at a time when people are suffering from stress due to the changes in their environment and being hit by harmful rumors. The meeting is a place where people from in and out of the city, of all ages, of different occupations and with diverse opinions come together to share their own experiences and thoughts. The camera captures the numerous conversations that developed among the people that had been brought together by the meeting, and pursues how the dialogs evolved from the past to the present and to their vision of the future.
After observing the meeting, the camera looks into the everyday lives of the participants as well. There are people involved in farming and fishing, mothers raising children, teachers and high school students, Buddhist monks, surfers and many others. Then, there are the people who are still living in the temporary housing facilities. The movie sheds light on every word spoken by the ordinary people, and takes great care in portraying the story of each and every person.
The city of Iwaki is located in the southern part of Fukushima prefecture and is the city closest to Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. It is a town known for its past-prosperity as a coal-mining town and for the movie, “Hula Girls”. Four hundred forty six people became victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the city has accepted over 20,000 evacuees from the towns and villages around Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
The “Mirai Kaigi (Future Meeting) in Iwaki” is being held at a time when people are suffering from stress due to the changes in their environment and being hit by harmful rumors. The meeting is a place where people from in and out of the city, of all ages, of different occupations and with diverse opinions come together to share their own experiences and thoughts. The camera captures the numerous conversations that developed among the people that had been brought together by the meeting, and pursues how the dialogs evolved from the past to the present and to their vision of the future.
After observing the meeting, the camera looks into the everyday lives of the participants as well. There are people involved in farming and fishing, mothers raising children, teachers and high school students, Buddhist monks, surfers and many others. Then, there are the people who are still living in the temporary housing facilities. The movie sheds light on every word spoken by the ordinary people, and takes great care in portraying the story of each and every person.
