Film production based on John Hersey’s reportage, “Hiroshima,” to depict friendship with Kiyoshi Tanimoto
Aug. 2, 2024
by Michio Shimotaka, Staff Writer
A movie based on Hiroshima (published in 1946), a reportage on the atomic bombed city by the American journalist John Hersey (1914-1993), will be co-produced by Japan and the United States. The movie will depict two people, Mr. Hersey and Kiyoshi Tanimoto (1909-1986), an atomic bomb survivor and minister, conveying the reality of the damage under information control, and introducing Mr. Tanimoto’s perspective as well. Mr. Tanimoto also appeared in the reportage.
Mr. Hersey collected data on Hiroshima under occupation nine months after the A-bombing and interviewed Mr. Tanimoto and others. The movie depicts the human story of two people from enemy countries, Japan and the U.S., who worked together to uncover what had happened in the A-bombing and developed a friendship. It explores the perspective of A-bomb survivors, a viewpoint not depicted in the biographical movie “Oppenheimer” about the developer of the A-bomb.
The production was planned by Mr. Hersey’s grandson and producer Cannon Hersey, 47, and his team. During a preliminary investigation, notes written in English by Mr. Tanimoto about the situation between August 6, 1945, and November 1947 were found at a college in the U.S. They include stories about Mr. Tanimoto and Mr. Hersey and will be used as reference material. The original title is “What Divides Us,” but the Japanese title and release date have yet to be decided. Filming will begin in Japan and the U.S. next year.
At a production announcement held at Hiroshima City Hall on August 1, Cannon stressed they wanted to send a message about why it was important to tell the truth. Koko Kondo, 79, Mr. Tanimoto’s eldest daughter and A-bomb survivor from Hyogo prefecture, and Ken Tanimoto, 76, his eldest son living in Asakita Ward, were also present. Ms. Kondo hoped the movie would bring the A-bomb survivors’ wish for the abolition of nuclear weapons to the forefront of people’s minds.
(Originally published on August, 2, 2024)
A movie based on Hiroshima (published in 1946), a reportage on the atomic bombed city by the American journalist John Hersey (1914-1993), will be co-produced by Japan and the United States. The movie will depict two people, Mr. Hersey and Kiyoshi Tanimoto (1909-1986), an atomic bomb survivor and minister, conveying the reality of the damage under information control, and introducing Mr. Tanimoto’s perspective as well. Mr. Tanimoto also appeared in the reportage.
Mr. Hersey collected data on Hiroshima under occupation nine months after the A-bombing and interviewed Mr. Tanimoto and others. The movie depicts the human story of two people from enemy countries, Japan and the U.S., who worked together to uncover what had happened in the A-bombing and developed a friendship. It explores the perspective of A-bomb survivors, a viewpoint not depicted in the biographical movie “Oppenheimer” about the developer of the A-bomb.
The production was planned by Mr. Hersey’s grandson and producer Cannon Hersey, 47, and his team. During a preliminary investigation, notes written in English by Mr. Tanimoto about the situation between August 6, 1945, and November 1947 were found at a college in the U.S. They include stories about Mr. Tanimoto and Mr. Hersey and will be used as reference material. The original title is “What Divides Us,” but the Japanese title and release date have yet to be decided. Filming will begin in Japan and the U.S. next year.
At a production announcement held at Hiroshima City Hall on August 1, Cannon stressed they wanted to send a message about why it was important to tell the truth. Koko Kondo, 79, Mr. Tanimoto’s eldest daughter and A-bomb survivor from Hyogo prefecture, and Ken Tanimoto, 76, his eldest son living in Asakita Ward, were also present. Ms. Kondo hoped the movie would bring the A-bomb survivors’ wish for the abolition of nuclear weapons to the forefront of people’s minds.
(Originally published on August, 2, 2024)
