On March 11th, 2011 the largest earthquake in recorded history struck off the coast of Japan, sending shockwaves across the nation and a tsunami which engulfed much of the eastern seaboard of Japan. The earthquake triggered an explosion at Fukushima’s Nuclear Power Plant which caused a plume of nuclear dust to be spread across the surrounding area, breaking apart families and daily life, but with an aftermath whose true effect may take years to fully comprehend.

A year on and Japan still lies in a state of destruction and confusion. In Fukushima, with the ‘unseen’ damage of the nuclear situation, the emotional scars of the people still living there are unimaginable. There is a certain stigma arising about both Fukushima and its people with the topic itself becoming ‘off-limits’. People are feeling isolated and this can’t be made to happen. Japan is one nation and to recover from this awful tragedy we need to help give voice to the people of Fukushima and keep them strong.

At the tail end of 2011, Third Window Films, alongside Pictures Dept., Bitters End, Dongyu, Rapid Eye Films and Joint Entertainment came together to produce Sion Sono’s Land of Hope, a film modelled on the situation in Fukushima. We hope that it will further help open the eyes of many to what is going on in Fukushima.

On March 11th, 2012, exactly a year after the earthquake which caused so much damage to Japan, Third Window Films will be hosting a charity screening of Mitsuko Delivers at the ICA to raise awareness for the people of Fukushima.

100% of Third Window Films’ profits of the screening of Mitsuko Delivers will go to a Fukushima-based charity. Third Window Films will also be selling DVDs at the event, with 100% of their sales also going to charity

Alongside the Fukushima charity, Third Window Films are also giving away 100% of ticket sales of all Japanese films playing in their ‘East Winds Film Festival’ (http://www.eastwindsfilm.com) to the Japan Society Earthquake Relief Fund (http://www.japansociety.org.uk/earthquake/)