Computer animated film of hypocenter area prior to atomic bombing to be shown at U.N.
Apr. 7, 2010
by Junji Akechi, Staff Writer
The Film Production Committee for the Restoration of Peace Memorial Park, which is engaged in a project to restore the appearance of the former Nakajima District near the hypocenter of the atomic bombing (now, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park) through computer animation, shared a portion of the film still in the making with the media on April 6. The committee will show the film at United Nations Headquarters in New York while the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference is in session this May.
The footage shown to the media is an elaborate depiction of the appearance of the former Nakajima District, once a prosperous area with many shops, through realistic shading and the aging of buildings. The computer imagery of western-style architecture in the film, including movie theaters, coffee shops, and the former Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, was created in a collaborative effort involving universities in the United States and Japan.
The committee interviewed 57 former residents of the district about the ambience of the old days, and also referred to about 500 photos of the area taken before the bombing. Kazuo Fukushima, 78, one of the former residents, was happy to see the footage, remarking, "The neighborhood where I spent my childhood has now been reproduced."
A shortened version of the film, running 30 minutes, will be screened at United Nations Headquarters on May 3. Masaaki Tanabe, 72, a representative of the committee and the president of a film production company in Hiroshima, expressed enthusiasm for the film, commenting, "We have been particularly attentive to the details of the district's appearance. We hope we can convey to the world the truth of what happened and what was lost on that day."
(Originally published on April 7, 2010)
Related articles
Original appearance of A-bomb Dome prior to atomic bombing will be restored via computer animation (Nov. 6, 2009)
Former residents around hypocenter share life before the bombing for computer animation project (July 28, 2009)
Obliterated by the bombing, a neighborhood is reborn (Jan. 3, 2008)
The Film Production Committee for the Restoration of Peace Memorial Park, which is engaged in a project to restore the appearance of the former Nakajima District near the hypocenter of the atomic bombing (now, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park) through computer animation, shared a portion of the film still in the making with the media on April 6. The committee will show the film at United Nations Headquarters in New York while the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference is in session this May.
The footage shown to the media is an elaborate depiction of the appearance of the former Nakajima District, once a prosperous area with many shops, through realistic shading and the aging of buildings. The computer imagery of western-style architecture in the film, including movie theaters, coffee shops, and the former Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, was created in a collaborative effort involving universities in the United States and Japan.
The committee interviewed 57 former residents of the district about the ambience of the old days, and also referred to about 500 photos of the area taken before the bombing. Kazuo Fukushima, 78, one of the former residents, was happy to see the footage, remarking, "The neighborhood where I spent my childhood has now been reproduced."
A shortened version of the film, running 30 minutes, will be screened at United Nations Headquarters on May 3. Masaaki Tanabe, 72, a representative of the committee and the president of a film production company in Hiroshima, expressed enthusiasm for the film, commenting, "We have been particularly attentive to the details of the district's appearance. We hope we can convey to the world the truth of what happened and what was lost on that day."
(Originally published on April 7, 2010)
Related articles
Original appearance of A-bomb Dome prior to atomic bombing will be restored via computer animation (Nov. 6, 2009)
Former residents around hypocenter share life before the bombing for computer animation project (July 28, 2009)
Obliterated by the bombing, a neighborhood is reborn (Jan. 3, 2008)
