This scene from "Pray for Japan" shows floating lanterns honoring the dead.
A documentary film about the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster will be screened at Aratani Japan America Theatre, 244 S. San Pedro St. in Little Tokyo, on Saturday, Aug. 18, at 4 p.m.
On March 11, 2011, Japan’s northeastern coastal region was hit by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and the tsunami that followed. “Pray for Japan” was shot in the devastated region of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture — the largest coastal city in Tohoku with a population of over 160,000 people.
Filmmaker Stu Levy, an American living in Japan, filmed the tsunami aftermath during his trips to Tohoku as a volunteer and over a period of six weeks, captured over 50 hours of footage. He will attend the screening and take questions from the audience afterwards.
“Pray for Japan” focuses on four key perspectives of the tragedy — school, shelter, family, and volunteers. With each perspective we meet victims who faced significant obstacles and overcome them. Through these four vantage points, the audience is able to understand the vast ramifications of this large-scale natural disaster — and the battle these real-life heroes fought on behalf of their loved ones and their hometown.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children. The screening is sponsored by Kids Project Japan and the Japan America Media Association. For information, visit http://prayforjapan-film.org/ or call JACCC at (213) 628-2725.
