Sakura & Pearls by G. K. Hunter (3mins) from G. K. Hunter on Vimeo.
After World War II, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were decimated by Atomic Bombs, The shores of Pearl Harbor were covered in debris and oil slicks. No cherry blossoms (Sakura) were in bloom in Japan. No more pearls were harvested from the dead oysters in Pearl Harbor. But the Cherry Blossoms bloom again in these Japanese cities today. Efforts are underway to restore the oysters to Pearl Harbor. Like the sakura and the pearls, the people of America and Japan are still recovering from World War II. Follow the healing process of 4 Japanese Atomic Bomb survivors and 3 American Pearl Harbor survivors as they meet face to face for the first time on the island of Oahu. The deep historic impact expressed by their children and grandchildren reveals that healing the aftermath of World War II will require multiple generations. Will they finally find forgiveness?
In 2016, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and former President Barrack Obama met to memorialize the Atomic Bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the Attack on Pearl Harbor. The iconic photo of Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Survivor, Shigeaki Mori-san, crying in the arms of then President Obama, was seen on news stations and newspaper covers around the world. This moving display, 75 years after World War II ended, showed us that time had not healed all wounds from World War II. This simple, but profound, gesture between former enemies had started an important dialogue that Sakura & Pearls continues to document. Mori-san and other survivors from all three attacks, share their stories. Children and grandchildren of survivors reveal that they too feel the aftereffects of these historic events. What happens when these survivors and families meet face to face on the island of Oahu for a special healing gather? Will they find forgiveness? Will they make peace?
