Film screening of “Voices in the Wind”
2024/3/8
On March 7th, the Embassy of Japan hosted a film screening of “Voices in the Wind” at the Embassy’s Information and Culture Centre in collaboration with JELLO (Japanese Enthusiasts Language Learning Organization) of the University of Ottawa.
The film tells the story of a young girl affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on March 2011, and of her recovery from the grief of losing her beloved family through fortuitous meetings and her ultimate encounter with a wind phone. This screening was held for the 13th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and for solidarity with those affected by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on January 1st of this year.
A wind phone is a disconnected phone that allows people to express their grief by talking symbolically to deceased loved ones. The first wind phone can be found in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, in Japan. Originally private, it was open to the public after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Other wind phones have been constructed all over the world since then, including in Canada. Closer to Ottawa, in 2022, a wind phone was opened in Chelsea, Quebec.
Minister Furuya delivered the opening remarks for the evening session and expressed his gratefulness to the Canadian people for their kind and warm sympathy in support of Japan at the time of the earthquakes. Afterwards, Ms. Donna Troop, a long-time resident of the Chelsea community who led a group of local volunteers in the conception and installation of the Chelsea Wind Phone, introduced the Chelsea Wind Phone and how it is helping people cope with their grief.
The film was screened twice, in the afternoon and in the evening. Both screenings were attended by approximately 150 people in total. The audiences were impressed by the Japanese people's altruistic spirit and their resilience in the face of grief caused by disasters. Following the screenings, participants also expressed their desire to visit Japan.
The film tells the story of a young girl affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on March 2011, and of her recovery from the grief of losing her beloved family through fortuitous meetings and her ultimate encounter with a wind phone. This screening was held for the 13th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and for solidarity with those affected by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on January 1st of this year.
A wind phone is a disconnected phone that allows people to express their grief by talking symbolically to deceased loved ones. The first wind phone can be found in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, in Japan. Originally private, it was open to the public after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Other wind phones have been constructed all over the world since then, including in Canada. Closer to Ottawa, in 2022, a wind phone was opened in Chelsea, Quebec.
Minister Furuya delivered the opening remarks for the evening session and expressed his gratefulness to the Canadian people for their kind and warm sympathy in support of Japan at the time of the earthquakes. Afterwards, Ms. Donna Troop, a long-time resident of the Chelsea community who led a group of local volunteers in the conception and installation of the Chelsea Wind Phone, introduced the Chelsea Wind Phone and how it is helping people cope with their grief.
The film was screened twice, in the afternoon and in the evening. Both screenings were attended by approximately 150 people in total. The audiences were impressed by the Japanese people's altruistic spirit and their resilience in the face of grief caused by disasters. Following the screenings, participants also expressed their desire to visit Japan.
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| Minister Furuya delivering opening remarks |
Ms. Donna Troop introducing the “wind phone” in Chelsea, Quebec |
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| The audience in the auditorium |
Film poster |
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| The "Wind Phone" in Chelsea, Quebec | The original wind phone in Otsuchi, Iwate, Japan |