A documentary about residents forced to evacuate from their town, home to part of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, was recently screened at the Berlin International Film Festival.
"I hope no one in the world will have an experience like ours again," Katsutaka Idogawa, mayor of Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture, said in a video message shown after the Sunday screening of the tentatively titled "Nuclear Nation" by director Atsushi Funahashi.
The documentary depicts residents taking shelter at a former school in Saitama Prefecture and shows scenes from the town of Futaba, which was evacuated after the March 11 disasters triggered the nuclear crisis.
"I hope many people worldwide will look at the current situation of the people from Futaba," Funahashi said after the screening. "I will continue keeping a record until they find a permanent place to settle."
Ryuichi Sakamoto, who composed piano music used in the documentary, said he plans to produce a Fukushima-themed album this summer and stage a performance with fellow musicians.
The Futaba mayor's video message included a warning about the perils of nuclear power: "We had attracted the nuclear power plant to promote our town. But I changed my mind because of the accident."
