The power of animation to promote peace in the world

Miho Chibot, engaged in peace activities in France, is well-known as the inspiration for the animated film "On a Paper Crane: Tomoko's Adventure". She told us, "In France, many animated films from Japan have been popular since the 1980s and have impressed the young people here. As a result, I thought it would be effective to use the power of animation for peace education."

Animation is an aspect of Japanese culture that we can be proud of and many fine films have been made related to the theme of peace. Since animation is a very accessible medium, it can serve to help pass on the experience of the aging A-bomb survivors.

These films include a piece which recreated, by means of computer graphics, the appearance of neighborhoods in Hiroshima that were destroyed in the bombing. In addition, the city of Hiroshima hosts the Hiroshima International Animation Festival every two years, screening many animated films from around the world.

In this issue, we focus on the power of animation and we welcome eight new junior writers to our team. With others moving on, a total of 19 junior writers are now involved in producing Peace Seeds.

Animation Festival attracts 30,000 participants from around the world

The Hiroshima International Animation Festival, promoting peace through animation, is held in Hiroshima every two years. Last year was the film festival's 11th anniversary and 1764 films were submitted for consideration from 58 countries and regions. About 30,000 people from inside and outside Japan visited the festival and experienced a range of cultures represented by the films that were screened.

Since 1985, the 40th anniversary of the bombing, the festival has been organized by the city of Hiroshima and festival staff under the theme of "Love and Peace".

Short films no longer than 30 minutes can be submitted for consideration and the number of submissions has steadily increased since the first festival when 451 films were received. Because the film awarded top honors, the Grand Prix, is automatically nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Animated Short Film category, the festival in Hiroshima has attracted the world's attention.

But why has this film festival been held in Hiroshima? Sayoko Kinoshita, 62, the director of the festival since its inception, explains, "The medium of animation integrates many aspects of culture that are particular to the locale, such as art, music, and literature. By understanding culture through animation, we can establish a foundation for peace. And I felt that Hiroshima, the site that experienced the world's first atomic bombing, would be a suitable home for such a festival."

Although I knew little about the animation festival before researching this report, I now understand the value of the event and I feel eager to experience the next one. (Kyoko Niiyama,17)

Recreating the life of a city through 20,000 photos and computer graphics

"Record of the Bombing of Hiroshima",
abridged version

(Nac Film center)

Neighborhoods of Hiroshima that vanished in the atomic bombing have been revived through the use of computer graphics. Watching the film, we were struck by how these entire districts of human life were completely wiped out in an instant.

Masaaki Tanabe, 69, a film director and the president of a production company, spent ten years making four films on this subject: the area around the A-bomb Dome, the old Sarugaku neighborhood near the hypocenter, the Saiku district, and a version that combined them all.

To make these films, Mr. Tanabe interviewed 165 survivors, studied old photos, and examined old buildings in these areas. He himself lost his parents and his younger brother in the Sarugaku neighborhood and recalling his past was so painful that he nearly abandoned the project at one point. However, the responsibility he felt as a filmmaker and a survivor, along with the support of other survivors, gave him the courage to complete his work.

Mr. Tanabe hopes that people who don't know the details of the destruction caused by the atomic bomb will watch his films. (Kotaro Tsuchida,14)

Click to watch our interview with Mr. Tanabe.

Conveying the reality of the atomic bomb
"On a Paper Crane: Tomoko's Adventure" and "Nagasaki Angelus Bell 1945"


	Left: "On a Paper Crane: Tomoko's Adventure"(©Mushi Productions) Right: "Nagasaki Angelus Bell 1945"(©Production Committee for "Nagasaki Angelus Bell 1945")

We viewed two animated films by Tokyo-based filmmaker, Seiji Arihara, 59-- "On a Paper Crane: Tomoko's Adventure" (1993) and "Nagasaki Angelus Bell 1945" (2005). With a mission to convey the damage wrought by the atomic bombs and to promote peace, both films have been screened internationally as well as domestically.

The heroine of "On a Paper Crane" learns about the atomic bomb and the effects of its radiation through a conversation with Sadako, the girl memorialized by the Children's Peace Monument in Peace Memorial Park. To date, this film has been shown in more than 65 countries. The other film, "Nagasaki Angelus Bell 1945" relates the story of a doctor who survived the bombing of Nagasaki. It will be screened at the United Nations in October.

Mr. Arihara remarked, "It is important that people feel close to the main characters of these films." He believes this empathy enables people to regard the atomic bomb as a concern in their own lives. And Miho Chibot, who suggested the story for "On a Paper Crane", added, "The film helps us view the challenge positively and motivate our action to resolve it."

In fact, the film inspired an elementary school student in Canada to write a letter to the Canadian Prime Minister urging him to work towards abolishing nuclear weapons. As this example demonstrates, Mr. Arihara believes his films have the power to move people throughout the world. (Minako Iwata,14)

"Shin's Tricycle" is produced at the writer's own expense

Scenes from "Shin'fs Tricycle"

The animated films "Shin's Tricycle", "The Lunch Box", and "A Boy's Marbles" present stories about the bombing of Hiroshima. We interviewed Tatsuharu Kodama, 79, the writer of the books these films are based on.

Mr. Kodama told us he wanted his books to be made into animated films because they would help children understand what life was like at that time.

After he retired from his career as a junior high school teacher, he began to write children's books. In order to write these three stories, he interviewed A-bomb survivors. Eventually, he found sponsors to film "The Lunch Box", in 1990, and "A Boy's Marbles", in 1994.

However, he couldn't find a sponsor to produce "Shin's Tricycle", the story of a boy who loved his tricycle and died in the bombing, so Mr. Kodama finally produced the film himself.

These three films have been shown at schools all over Japan. Through this work, Mr. Kodama has become convinced of the power of animation. (Moeko Takagi,12)

Filmmaking workshop for elementary school and junior high school students

Participants drawing at the workshop. (photo by Kotaro Tsuchida, 14)

An animation workshop for children was held for four days in August at Aster Plaza in Hiroshima. We visited the workshop on the last day.

The participants were hard at work, as if they were part of a real animation studio. In fact, the only noise in the room was the sound of colored pencils on paper.

The creative process began by adapting the story "The Tortoise and the Hare". Under the director's guidance, the children drew 700 pictures to tell the story and then filmed them. In fact, because they first made a rough draft, they drew these 700 pictures twice.

This animation workshop has been held every year since 1985 in order to inspire children's interest in animation.

Finally, we watched the completed film. The 700 pictures flashed by in only two minutes, but the children were thrilled and shouted with joy. (Daishi Kobayashi, 15)

Animation is accessible but it needs broader reach

Summing up our investigations, we shared impressions and came to the conclusion that animation can be very effective in delivering serious messages to children.

We also feel that making our own films might offer a good opportunity to reflect on issues of war and peace.

Recently, Japanese animation has attracted the world's attention. In the United States, a large festival of Japanese animation is held every summer. Because of this popularity, it might be a fitting time to appeal for peace through this art form.

At the same time, we also have a sense that the kind of animation Hiroshima promotes through its film festival--linking the art of animation to peace--is not widely recognized.

Having the chance to study animation at school might be a good idea. And animation as a vehicle for promoting peace should be encouraged. (Yutaro Honkawa, 17)