My Small Steps From Hiroshima

2018, 90 minutes, Digital, Not Rated
Japan

Language: Japanese with English Subtitles

Presented by: Baltimore Kawasaki Sister City Committee and MICA

Director: Jay Ike

Cast: Kaoru Ogura

Distributor: NHK World

This film is a special story about Kaoru Ogura, a second generation Japanese American, who experienced events during the pre-war and post-war periods, both in America and in Japan. The film conveys his experience and unique perspective on a journey towards peace.

“Kaoru Ogura dedicated his life to telling the world about the Japanese city where the first atomic bomb was dropped. He brought public figures from other countries together with survivors in postwar Hiroshima, where he worked as a translator because he was born and raised in the U.S. The devastation shocked the visitors, causing them to spread the word internationally, (eventually leading to)….the anti-nuclear movement. This program recounts the life and work of those activists and the experiences of Kaoru Ogura.”

A key element in the documentary is a box of diaries and letters recently found in March, 2016 that preserved Ogura’s meticulously transcribed interviews, in English, that he held with Hiroshima survivors.

The Japanese producer of this documentary, Jay Ike, will be on hand to provide some insight to this narrative, and answer questions, joined by other local scholars.