The 3rd GREEN IMAGE FILM FESTIVAL

The filmmaker's grandfather worked at the Red Cross after the Hiroshima bombing. Her quest to learn why he never talked about his experiences takes a new turn after Fukushima's catastrophe.

[Trailer] https://vimeo.com/142856453

Documentary record film from March 2008 to March 11, 2011 at the small fishing village “Hadenya” in Minami-sanriku Miyagi prefecture where perished by the devastating Tsunami attack after the Great East Japan Earthquake. The film illustrate, with equable atmosphere, daily occurrence of people live/work in the local community such as the aquaculture in the bayside and agriculture on the hillside with conflict of succeeding local community tradition “Yui” or ”Kou” among rich yet severe nature.

[Trailer] https://youtu.be/hGi-K4mHV_4?list=PLcMneGtPhmJFsfap864MHq7zzL-UzCV1h

The film is a documentary record of fishermen in Shinchi town, Fukushima prefecture for 3 years since 2011. The fishermen in Fukushima forced to self-restraint in livelihood fishery after the Great East Japan Earthquake followed by the Tsunami attack and nuclear power plant accident. The briefing was held about the plan for bypassing groundwater that is one of the measures against radioactively polluted water by The Tokyo Electric Power Company without the prospects for a solution to operate fishery. The problem was how to compromise among fishermen since the acceptance of the bypassing plan divided fishermen. The film records what fishermen suffers, what they think and how they react since their restorations are not at all simple or easy.

The contradictions and difficulties caused by the disaster ask us the real restoration through fishermen’s family business, traditional events in the coast life and local history.

[Trailer] https://youtu.be/ZynUzUFfFwk?list=PLcMneGtPhmJFsfap864MHq7zzL-UzCV1h

Jack Jansen is leading a happy farmer’s life. When prices suddenly drop, he is caught in a dramatic downward spiral, having to work harder for less money. A salesman and a scientist seem to have a solution, but will this put an end to his trouble?

My grandfather is telling me a story that he invented, and asks me to make a film out of it. Because of pollution, pesticides, and other toxic substances, a bee decides to leave her hive, looking for a more comfortable place for her to live in.

A small island floating somewhere in the seas, this is Yappo island. The island speaks to the wind, seas and stars at it drifts along. (25 episode TV program)

  Just The Way You Are

Yappo pig’s dream is to be able to run around with everyone else. But the Yappo pig is only able to walk slowly. Puki Puki helps train the Yappo pig to run, but the Yappo pig has difficult time learning how to run. Puki Puki comes up with an idea…. Will the Yappo pig learn how to run?

  The Magical Stone Of Life

One day, a stone grew from a seed-like piece Poi had planted. It was an absolutely strange stone as it made bubbling sounds, bulged, caved in, spewed fire, when it was watered. When seeds of the forest were sowed, a forest came out of the stone, which was then surrounded by clouds and even started raining. What really is this stone?

The moose is the largest animal in the Great Xingan Mountains. Mighty, sensitive, and majestic, he has been hunted and his home has been destroyed, and now it is rare that people can catch a glimpse of him in the great forests of Northeastern China.

But is not a film talking about animal… 

Ewenki hunter Weijia's life has followed the trajectory of the moose, with his lands taken away, his hunting guns confiscated, and his way of life falling into extinction; he spends his days drinking and painting his memories of a better time. In the spring, Weijia and Maoxie go into the forest searching for moose. Then one day, Weijia's life undergoes a big change…

Social systems come and go, but people remain.
Since Soviet times an old Ukrainian bus has been running along the outermost EU border. At the junction of this geo-political construct this old bus appears as fragile as the past itself. Will the bus come? Or not? Passengers wait patiently at the bus stop: and they dream that the bus will take them - perhaps to a better future.

This is a documentary about Critical Status of Lake Urmia in the NorthWest of  Iran, which faces the danger of drying up. The Lake has been the world's second largest hyper saline lake after the Dead Sea. 

Strong-willed development aid worker Karla comes to Afghanistan in order to build a well. The villagers only treat her with reserve and the well is sabotaged by strangers repeatedly. The only person who could have the key to the causer is the Afghan girl Rona, but she remains silent. Her hard-bitten boss Reinhardt is no help either and when she learns that the Minister is coming to inaugurate the well the pressure rises. Next, red water trickles from the well. When Karla finally finds out who really is in charge of the attacks she realizes that her western notion of what is good for people is evaluated totally different in another culture. A story about willing yet failing to help.

[Trailer] https://vimeo.com/90528110

[Website] http://diebrunnenfrau.com/die-brunnenfrau.html

Gifu prefecture applied Nagara River to register GIAHS “Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System” and FAO, a part of specialized agency of UN, inspected them. The downstream area of the river was excluded for the heritage targeting area. The controversial estuary barrage that has changed the lives of people living with blessings of the river was built in the downstream area. Fishermen in the downstream of the river, where once was a rich fishery area of Ayu, gave up continuing their business one after another. The last and only fishermen brothers of the downstream area keep their business as if their lives are the ladder for the fish on the estuary barrage. The film illustrates the feelings and emotions of people living in the downstream area of the Nagara River while verifying the intention of the local government that changed their policy from against the construction plan to approve it under the framework of public construction behind the decision.

Three different families in the village weave a touching story, but pulling each other constantly with the social reality of “home” and “loss of the traditional culture”, which played out in real life. It seems that there is no any connection among the three families at all, but their lives, daily works, and the wishes are to be fulfilled. The traditional plant – “Millets,” reconnects their everyday lives through sowing, cooking, and brings them back to the kitchen table once again.

[Trailer] https://youtu.be/Db24QQAZi9w?list=PLcMneGtPhmJFsfap864MHq7zzL-UzCV1h

*A tap dancer performs, while elsewhere people run from the tear gas of the police. Two worlds apart ̶ if it wasn't for an unexpected opening in the floor, right in front of the dancer... She decides to jump, and lands in the middle of the social protests in Istanbul. The dancer witnesses the people's fight for personal freedom and living space, and takes the opportunity to transform her dance into a statement of solidarity.

Sticks and Stones is an animated story about a boy exploring his world, mediated by technology and social media. Are we a part of nature, or outside it? Is it "human nature" to be cruel? Through empathy, we learn everything is connected.

An extraordinary voyage project planned by Yoshiharu SEKINO, an explorer known for TV series “Great Journey”. The project is to make canoe with ironware made from collected natural materials and take a voyage from Indonesia to Japan with no use of engine or compass but only use of silhouette of islands and star maps. However, the canoe had a structural defect against forwarding in adverse wind. The canoe only goes forward in slower than human walking speed in adverse wind. There were 10 crews on the stagnant canoe. The camera witnessed how they share joy, anger and sorrow under uncontrolled great nature. What will the voyage make the crews to become aware of?

[Trailer] https://youtu.be/By18pSwKIxQ?list=PLcMneGtPhmJFsfap864MHq7zzL-UzCV1h

Today, it is rarely seen the traditional lifestyle living with horse in Japan.

There is only one master and pupil workers left preserving Japanese traditional horse logging technique. The master is 74 years old and the pupil is 38 years old living in Iwate prefecture in Tohoku Japan where hit by the great earthquake in 2011.

Once, it was a common life/workstyle living with horses under the same roof in Japan until about 50 years ago. The traditional life/workstyle preserving mountains and other natural resources without machinery has been garnering attention not only in Japan but around the world after the great earthquake. The film work records the vanishing traditional life and culture in Tohoku Japan after the quake for over a year with granted subsidy.