Documentary film (42:12 min)
Language: English, Japanese and Norwegian
Tied together by three dancing, traveling bodies, EMBRACING HIROSHIMA explores the power of international artistic collaboration as a way to build bridges and friendships in a world under constant threats of division and war.
ENGLISH VERSION:
NORWEGIAN VERSION:
BACKGROUND:
Driven by a wish to understand the human will to heal and rebuild in the midst of tragedy, EMBRACING HIROSHIMA merges dance, contemporary and traditional music, concert performance and animation film to honor the enormous peacekeeping efforts in the wake of the atom bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The documentary film follows the New York dance company, EyeKnee Coordination and a large cast of singers and musicians from four corners of the earth on its journey across Japan to perform the new piece “Will this moment ever let go?”, a collaboration between Norwegian composer Magnar Åm, and the renowned Norwegian poet Jan Erik Vold.
SCREENENED AT:
- New York City Independent Film Festival, New York (USA), 2017
- International Uranium Film Festival, Rio de Janeiro, 2017
- Dansearena nord, Hammerfest (Norway), 2017 Fredshuset, Oslo (Norway), 2017
- Southampton International Film Festival, Southampton (UK), 2016
- Scandinavia House, New York (USA), 2016
- The Norwegian Documentary Film Festival, Volda (Norway), 2016
FILM CREDITS:
Director and Editor: Einy Åm Sparks
Director of Photography: Tyler Sparks
Locations Manager and Second Camera: Roberto Akio Yamakawa
Post Production Audio Engineer: Ryan Hobler
Filmed in public locations in Tokyo, Kyoto and by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Genbaku Dome, which was the only structure left standing in the area where the first atomic bomb exploded on August 6th in 1945.
A Scintilla Films production
FEATURING:
COMPOSER / CONDUCTOR: Magnar Åm
POET: Jan Erik Vold
CHOIR: Volda Vokal
CHOREOGRAPHER: Einy Åm Sparks
DANCERS: Kevin Ho, Uta Takemura and Einy Åm Sparks
Guest performers: Yuki Miyoshi, Kano Yamada & Reiko Hosomi
COSTUME DESIGNER: Stephanie Sleeper
MUSICIANS:
Njål Sparbo, baritone
Ellen Sejersted Bødtker, harp
Geir Draugsvoll, accordion
James Crabb, accordion
Sizzle Ohtaka, voice
Masahiro Saeki, oud
Haruhiko Saga, throat singing Mongolian two string cello
Saori Kojima, theremin
Tanikawa Kensaku, piano (Tokyo)
EyeKnee Coordination 