Films Contemplating Peace: Part 2 FLEEHiroshima for Global Peace

Films Contemplating Peace: Part 2 FLEE

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　The theater management company Johakyu, which operates the Hatchoza and Salon Cinema theaters in Naka-ku, Hiroshima, screens over 200 films a year. The Johakyu members shared with us their recommendations for “films contemplating peace that you should see now.”

　Every August, the Hatchoza and Salon Cinema theaters screen films that allow viewers to think deeply about the idea of peace. This summer, Hatchoza will be screening the animated film FLEE, which tells the story of an Afghan refugee. The film will be screened from August 19th to 25th.

To FLEE means to escape to a safe place. In the film, a young man born in Afghanistan and now a refugee in Denmark tells the story of his escape from civil war, his survival, and his daily life as a refugee. Through the story of a man who, having been deprived of his country and family, is forced to live on in solitude, the film uncovers the problems of modern society such as conflict, refugees, racism, and LGBTQ+ issues. At this year’s Academy Awards, FLEE became the first film to receive simultaneous nominations for international feature film, documentary feature, and animated feature.

A documentary seeks to tell the truth. Yet, FLEE was made as an animated film. It seems this was done to protect the privacy and safety of the protagonist and those around him. However, one could also argue that it is precisely the animated medium, with its at times fantastic and beautiful flourishes, that allows the viewer to persevere through difficult and trying scenes and thereby enter fully into the world that is depicted.

　In documentaries and live-action dramas that depict the realities of war and the suppression of human rights, there may be scenes that viewers find difficult to watch. Many do not wish to see such images on the screen. It is a pity that many films created to further peace are avoided by viewers. However, with animated films, one can use the filter of artistic expression to reach deeper into viewers’ hearts. In recent years, many animated films with such themes have been produced.

Last year, Salon Cinema also screened such socially conscious animated films as The Breadwinner, which tells of a girl’s survival under the harsh realities of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, and True North, a searing indictment of life in a North Korean political prison camp.

　The surprise hit film In This Corner of the World, which set a new attendance record for Hatchoza, is a prime example of such a film. To produce the work, director Sunao Katabuchi used interviews to thoroughly investigate the lives of common people in Hiroshima and Kure during the war. We believe it was the animated film medium that allowed the difficult realities of war, as well as the film’s message of anti-war and peace, to reach so many viewers.

　Going forward, we will likely see many more animated films with the themes of anti-war and peace. As theaters located in the International City of Peace that is Hiroshima, we at Hatchoza and Salon Cinema would like to assertively continue screening such films.