Friday, January 25, 2013

Feeling grateful, honoured and on task for 2013.

My film “Gurei Zoun No Naka” or "In the Grey Zone" (website HERE), premiered last summer at the 2012 Rhode Island International Film Festival.  On the final day of the festival, I had the honour of receiving the “Filmmaker of the Future Award" (HERE). 

After the festival was over, the votes were tallied and the audience choice awards were announced in the autumn.  “In the Grey Zone” was given the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary!

The certificate arrived in the post today. 



This gives me an extra boost to finish my new feature documentary film, about the children in Fuksuhima with newly discovered thyroid cysts and nodules, which is currently in the final stages of post-production.  I will be posting the trailer for that along with some new short documentary updates about Fukushima here on my blog and on my channel (HERE) very soon.
In The Grey Zone (synopsis)
In the zone 20-30 km from the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan, the
children of Minamisoma City are heading back to school amidst abnormally high levels
of radiation and toxic rain one month after the nuclear meltdown.
Filmmaker of the Future Award (description)
Presented to a filmmaker whose vision excites audiences and judges alike about the potential to produce compelling and successful films in the future
Gurei Zoun No Naka (In the Grey Zone) | Ian Thomas Ash, Japan, 2012

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Fathers and sons.

My dad has been in Japan for the last three and a half weeks.  He left today.

We had many adventures together, traveling from Sapporo to Nagasaki and flying on a 787 (before they were suddenly grounded!).  We met lots of wonderful people along the way and partook in countless delicacies.  But most of all, we just enjoyed hanging out together, father and son.




After watching my documentary "Jake, not finished yet" (trailer HERE), someone who was familiar with some of my other work once asked me, "What is it with you and this theme of mothers and sons?"

These weeks with my dad have been so important to me and make me think: what is it that made this time together with my dad so special?

Fathers and sons.