US (2005): Documentary/Short
Twenty-five years ago, in his documentary SURVIVORS, Steven Okazaki interviewed men and women who had lived through the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In 2005, he returns to this subject and its many unresolved questions to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing.
THE MUSHROOM CLUB offers an urgent reminder of the destructive legacy of war, and a plea for more thoughtful engagement. The film's subjects include a 90-year-old survivor who collects the melted glass and metal that still washes ashore in Hiroshima, and members of "The Mushroom Club," a support group created for children born with defects caused by nuclear contamination.
Both a personal reflection and a moving portrait of the city and people of Hiroshima, THE MUSHROOM CLUB explores the legacy of the bombing, from its myths and monuments to its survivors, to the complex politics of pacifism and militarization which Japan still struggles with today.
1 nomination
· Achievement in Documentary Short Films 2005: A Farallon Films Production - Steven Okazaki