''The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom'' (

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: 津波そして桜) is a 2011 American-Japanese documentary film directed by Lucy Walker. The film was nominated for the

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject).

Synopsis

The film follows survivors of the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six mi ...

as they prepare for the beginning of cherry blossom season.

Production

Walker's original intention was to film a documentary about the cherry blossom and that after the 2011 tsunami she initially reconsidered her decision to create a film of any nature. In an interview with ''

Realscreen Brunico Communications is a Canadian magazine publishing company."Desktop tabloid publishing firm sports 2 publications and a profit". ''The Globe and Mail'', October 9, 1989. The company specializes primarily in online trade magazines serving medi ...

'', Walker stated "My first thought was, ‘Gosh, I can’t do this now.’ But then my second thought was that actually, now is a more important time than ever to show our solidarity with the Japanese people." She did not plan on using the cherry blossom as a metaphor, but that "the film’s subjects picked up on it as an obvious metaphor anyway". Walker had concerns that she would find it difficult to conduct interviews as an outsider to the country, but "found people really wanted to tell their story. They would come across the post-apocalyptic looking landscape especially to find us."

The Cherry Blossom in Japanese Culture

Tsutsujigaoka Park in the cherry blossom season

Japanese people treat the cherry blossoms as a symbol of hope and beauty, and Japanese non-profit organizations that plant and encourage others to plant sakura trees were founded after the 2011 disaster.

Awards

Reception

Critical reception for ''The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom'' has been positive, with Bruce Barcott calling the movie's Oscar nomination "a well-deserved nod" and stating that the movie "captures the Japanese experience of the March 11, 2011, tsunami with a quiet beauty, power, and dignity". Film Journal International also reviewed the film, praising Walker's directing and the use of musical and artistic touches. Roger Ebert gave the short 3 stars, stating that some of the footage was "overwhelming". On November 28, 2011, REACT to FILM screened ''The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom'' at the

SoHo House Soho House is a museum run by Birmingham Museums Trust, celebrating Matthew Boulton's life, his partnership with James Watt, his membership of the Lunar Society of Birmingham and his contribution to the Midlands Enlightenment and the Ind ...

in West Hollywood, CA and moderated a Q&A with director Lucy Walker, Aki Mizutani and Kira Carstensen. Critical reception in Japan has also been positive, with Cinema Today Japan acknowledging the short's Academy Awards nomination.

References

External links

* *
''The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom''
at the website of Lucy Walker {{DEFAULTSORT:Tsunami And The Cherry Blossom 2011 films 2011 short documentary films Documentary films about the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami Documentary films about Japan Cherry blossom Japanese short documentary films Films directed by Lucy Walker American short documentary films 2010s American films 2010s Japanese films