SEATTLE, WA – Tuesday, March 11th, 2014, marks the third anniversary of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake that hit the Tohoku region of Japan producing a massive tsunami that killed an estimated 18,000 people, caused $122B dollars of damage, and led to the eventual meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The environmental, social, and economic impacts of this historic disaster will be felt for decades.
To commemorate the on-going crisis and celebrate the resiliency of the Japanese people, Moontown Foundation and KING5 TVs Lori Matsukawa are hosting a special information session and screening of Canadian media activist and filmmaker Ian MacKenzie’s short film Reactor, a meditative, deliberate, quietly powerful half-hour glimpse into the uncharted new world of post-Fukushima Japan.
Choosing not to dwell on the magnitude 9.0 Tōhoku-Oki earthquake and tsunami nearly three years ago — and the subsequent nuclear catastrophe that has supplanted Chernobyl as the worst disaster of the Atomic Age — it’s about the response, as the initial shock fades and long-term repercussions and a new reality permeate the nation’s consciousness.
Reactor – Trailer from Ian MacKenzie on Vimeo.
Ultimately, it’s an exploration of humanity and what connects us all. Its beauty resides in its subtlety, in the equanimity and restraint exemplified by the Buddhism of its central character and emotional core, yogi/teacher/activist Michael Stone; there’s no tub-thumping (though drums are struck in a protest on the streets of Tokyo). MacKenzie lets the story tell itself, through articulate voices — a protestor, an academician, an activist — offering detail and context.
The most haunting words are softly, plaintively spoken by Hiroshima survivor Keiko Ogura, who says “I feel so sorry for Fukushima people” after describing the horror she witnessed as an 8-year-old — the flash of the atomic bomb’s detonation like “a thousand suns.” A final, intensely personal message of hope and call for action is tempered by the reality that a new government has reversed course and is doubling down on Japan’s nuclear future.
EVENT DETAILS:
Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Time: 6-7PM, Reception; 7-9PM, Screening and Discussion
Admission: $25 Private Reception; $15 General Admission
Location: Wing Luke Museum, 719 South King St., Seattle, WA 98104
Tickets: Brown Paper Tickets
Light appetizers and refreshments provided. Special musical guest Buckman Coe. Interpretive services upon request. Seating capacity limited.
About Ian Mackenzie
Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Ian Mackenzie is a video journalist, media activist, and documentary filmmaker. Mackenzie’s work has appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic TV, Canadian Broadcasting Channel, Adbusters, and film festivals around the world. He co-produced Velcrow Ripper’s feature documentary Occupy Love (2013). Sacred Economics (2012), produced in collaboration with author Charles Eisenstein, is one of his most popular web films. Ian’s short film, The Revolution Is Love (2011) was named one of the top 10 films chronicling the Occupy Movement of 2011. In 2010, he released One Week Job, an inspirational story about a guy who worked 52 jobs in 52 weeks to find his passion. The project received widespread attention from the New York Times and CNN. To learn more visit www.ianmack.com.
About Buckman Coe
Buckman Coe is a Yogi, Soul, Folk and Reggae Artist from Vancouver, British Columbia. With a background in Human Geography and Counseling Psychology, his lyrics show a keen understanding of human emotion; a concern for the Earth and his music reflects a Zen-like calm and inner peace. Coe favors bright, shimmering melodies in the style of Paul Simon and Neil Young. His voice is a gossamer falsetto that recalls the grace and elegance of the late Jeff Buckley. His lyrics eschew the simplistic rhyming couplets of much folk music for intricate and sometimes subversive passages that go much deeper than the easy-listening veneer of his melodies. To learn more visit www.buckmancoe.com.
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