Post-Tsunami Filmmaking Output Continues with Yukihiro Shoda’s short “Blind”

by Marc Saint-Cyr

Following the events of March 11th earlier this year, filmmakers are starting to turn their attention (and cameras) to the disaster that rocked the northeast coast of Japan in the form of a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, the resulting tsunami and the tense crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after several of the reactors’ cooling systems failed. Recently, maverick director Sion Sono presented his latest film, “Himizu,” at both the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. Focusing on a teenage boy’s rough family situation set against the aftermath of the earthquake, the film was recognized in Venice with the Marcello Mastroianni Award, given to young leads Shota Sometani and Fumi Nikaido. It seems inevitable that others will soon find fresh ways to add their own voices on this strong issue through filmmaking. One of them is independent filmmaker Yukihiro Shoda, who recently uploaded onto his Vimeo page a five-minute short film entitled “Blind.” It follows a young businessman’s morning routine as he makes his way through a frightening imagined version of Tokyo affected by a catastrophic nuclear disaster. Its eerie tone heightened by dramatic editing and cinematography, the film presents a world where everyone must wear gas masks outside, cancer cases are on the rise and contaminated zones throughout Japan are marked on maps. Ending with a note of warning, it clearly shows the level of concern that the tsunami and Fukushima fiasco have inspired.

Watch the full film in the window below. Many thanks to Wildgrounds for this story.


blind from YUKIHIRO SHODA on Vimeo.