JQ Magazine: JQ&A with Yumi Tanaka of the New York Peace Film Festival
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See ‘A Thousand Cranes’ at the New York Peace Film Festival March 12-13. (Daiei Motion Picture Co.)
By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). For more Japanese culture, visit his Examiner.com page here.
Manhattan’s Upper East Side kicks off the weekend with the 4th Annual New York Peace Film Festival, which promotes a deeper understanding of international relations from films and presentations worldwide. Saturday focuses on the devastation of the atomic bomb, beginning with the 1958 Japanese film A Thousand Cranes, the story of young Hiroshima bomb victim Sadako Sasaki. JQ caught up with Yumi Tanaka, the festival’s co-founder and executive producer, for this exclusive interview.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born and raised in Japan and came to the States to attend college. Upon graduation, I landed a job and remained in the country. When I moved to NYC for a job, I also started taking an acting class. I thought it will help me at business meetings when I have to do a presentation. I loved theater since I was a child. My first experience was with the Takarazuka Revue at the age of three with my father. I studied theater, as literature helped me taking these acting classes, and I was recommended to do a stand-up comedy workshop then. That’s how I started doing stand-up comedy while holding a real job. Then, I pursued the entertainment industry. I took serious acting classes from a teacher who had taught many famous comedians like Ray Romano, and the list goes on.
It was 9/11 that changed my life. I wanted to do something more meaningful instead of being onstage at smelly comedy club to make drunks laugh. In 2005, I met a Hiroshima survivor visiting New York for an NPT [Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] conference. He told me his life story; how he was hiding as a hibakusha [atomic bomb survivor] for a long time. Then, he said, “Hibakusha are getting older. If we all die, the, there’s no people who carry on to tell our stories.” That was the moment. I thought I could use my knowledge and experiences with theater to tell their story.
In 2006, I met Jonathan Fluck, who used to run children’s theater for over 20 years. He had just produced a poetry performance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A mutual friend introduced us. Although Jonathan had never been to both cities, his passion towards nuclear abolition was in sync. So we started the New York Peace Film Festival in 2007, and we’ve held one every year except 2009 due to the bad economy.
We also hold poetry and play readings two to three times a year, and help out when hibakusha come in town. My peace work is all volunteer work—I work for one of the largest Japanese trading firms to support myself. Last summer, the City of Nagasaki certified me as the first Peace Correspondent for Nagasaki.
I love baseball and I’m a diehard Yankees fan. Like other Japanese, I love singing karaoke, too! I also ran in the NYC Marathon three times.
What gave you the idea about co-founding this festival, and what steps did you take to make it an annual event?
As I mentioned, the idea to do a film festival was simply “no rehearsals and production cost,” since our background is theater and we know how hard it is to raise funds to do a single production. Then an idea came: “How about showing films? We just put them into the DVD player?”
It wasn’t that simple after all, yet it’s definitely manageable to hold a festival run by the two of us. There are times we faced the hardships, but we know we are serving to the community and reaching out to more people to be aware what’s going on the world. People give us great comments and encouragement. I think that’s our drive to continue doing our festival.
What makes this year’s festival different from the previous ones?
The screening of a documentary film called Twice Bombed, Twice Survived: The Legacy of Tsutomu Yamaguchi, which is the world premiere with us, and having a press conference is a huge step for us. We’ve been supporting this film since our first festival.
We’re also trying to use Facebook and Twitter to advertise our festival as well as traditional post cards and posters. And we made a T-shirt with our logo on it! I want people to like us, and this is something that shows our friendliness.
Besides the general theme of peace, what other goals does the festival have?
To build a community and support one another. This year, the Peace & Justice Task Force of All Souls Unitarian Church is a co-host, and has provided their space for the weekend-long event. Other partners are American Friends Service Committee; NY Metro Region; Granny Peace Brigade; Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW); New York War Resisters League; Pax Christi, New York; Peace Action New York State (PANYS); and Resistance Cinema.
How can current JET participants and alumni increase their awareness of this subject and help out in Japan and at home?
We also help out with other projects that host hibakusha coming to New York for their testimonies. We do need bilingual person for translators. We usually seek Japanese who speak English, but JET alumni can also help the project.
What screenings or appearances are you most looking forward to this weekend?
The kickoff party is always a great opportunity for all the participating filmmakers and peace activists to get together. Also, we will hold a press conference for the documentary film Twice Bombed, Twice Survived: The Legacy of Tsutomu Yamaguchi. Major Japanese media are covering the story, and Al Arabiya TV will cover films related to Middle East issues. Our grassroots festival is going “international.” We are thrilled!
Have you ever visited the peace memorials in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? What were your thoughts when you went?
I visited Hiroshima in 2006 for the first time. Seeing is believing. My first visit to Nagasaki was in the fifth grade. I forgot most of it, but I remember there was a huge black and red painting in front of the elevator. When we got on, the elevator shook and we all screamed. To this day, I still remember that moment vividly. I went back in 2007 with my mother. Now, whenever I go to Japan, I always visit both cities.
Human beings shall not repeat this tragedy. Our life is so precious, whoever you are. Seeing the charred baby in the black and white photos makes me choke up. I think of my beautiful nephew and niece. I don’t want their future to be like in the photo.
I would like to promote visiting Hiroshima and Nagasaki for everyone. Again, seeing is believing. If you meet a survivor and hear his story, even if you think the dropping the A-bomb was the right decision, you may be convinced it was not the best choice after all. I don’t want humans to take a foolish path.
For peace, what events following the aftermath of World War II have been the most progressive regarding U.S.-Japan relationships since then?
I’m not a historian and I’m still learning a lot. Many things are not taught in school, so I have to research on my own.
To you, what are some of the prime examples that denounce war or the atomic bomb that Americans should discover?
There are Americans who were exposed to radiation through nuclear testings and people who lived in the area. At the time of the bombings, there were POWs who also died from the A-bombs.
I want people to really know about the atomic bombs. The real horror now is the damages that will pass on to the generations. There are second and third generation of survivors who suffer now and they’re like your age.
Any other messages for our readers?
Thanks for being a bridge to Japan and U.S. Perhaps many of you have visited Hiroshima and/or Nagasaki during your stay in Japan. The experience was eye-opening for the young mind. It’s not about being victims or perpetuators.
Sometimes it will be more convincing to the American public if they hear about the bombings from non-Japanese people. I want you to be that bridge. It is called humanity. If you forget the days you visited these cities, please open your photo album and remember what you’ve felt when you visited. And for those who you haven’t been to any of the cities, please make a chance to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I’m sure you’ll enjoy great food and sake as well!
The 4th Annual New York Peace Film Festival runs March 12-13 at All Souls Unitarian Church, 1157 Lexington Avenue at 80th Street in New York City. See a complete listing at http://newyorkpeacefilmfestival.blogspot.com. Purchase tickets ($16 daily general admission) at http://nypff.eventbrite.com.
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