On March 11th 2011, the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Japan took an unexpected turn within minutes following one of the world’s most powerful earthquake and tsunami, which caused the displacement of over 350,000 people and the death of over 18,000. While government agencies and international organizations scrambled to provide basic needs to survivors and re-organization plans to bigger towns, many survivors thought it simpler and more convenient relocating to urban areas with friends or family members. Returning home meant returning to empty plots of land and piles of rubble, not knowing when or if government support would ever make its way to less populated towns. As a result, hundreds of small villages along the east coast were left abandoned. For Funakoshi, a fishing town home to about 350 people prior to the disaster, the story differs a little. A handful of locals decided they were to not leave their hometown abandoned, and work towards revival.

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Funakoshi follows community leader and fisherman Koichi Nakasato, working towards keeping his washed-away hometown alive alongside a group of devoted residents despite the personal challenges of dealing with the aftermath of the tragedy.

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Public Screenings

Carmel International Film Festival (2014)

The Pink Cow Art Bar Tokyo (2014)

Ishinomaki Kahoku Hall (2014)

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