Ana Vaz’s ‘Hanabi’ Explores the Lasting Shadow of the Fukushima Disaster

Ana Vaz’s ‘Hanabi’ brings a decade-long artistic exploration of the Fukushima nuclear disaster to the Locarno Film Festival, where the film is presented as part of the Cineasti del Presente competition.

The film is inspired by the writings of Yoko Hayasuke, whose personal account of living with the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster provides an important foundation for Vaz’s work. Rather than presenting a conventional documentary, Vaz uses an experimental and essayistic approach to examine how disaster continues to affect people, communities and landscapes.

‘Hanabi’ was filmed intermittently in Japan over a period of 10 years. The project brings together video and 16mm footage with a layered soundscape, creating a fragmented portrait of a country living with the memory and consequences of natural and human-made disasters.

The film connects the Fukushima nuclear accident with the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Alongside Hayasuke’s perspective, Vaz includes stories involving people whose lives and work are connected to the aftermath, including beekeepers, marine researchers, workers involved in radioactive decontamination and communities seeking ways to adapt to changed surroundings.

Vaz’s approach is not limited to documenting destruction. The filmmaker also explores resilience, imagination and the possibility of finding new ways to live in environments transformed by catastrophe.

The 105-minute film is a France-Brazil production and uses both Japanese and English. Its world premiere at Locarno marks an important stage in a project that Vaz has developed over many years.

With its combination of personal testimony, experimental imagery and reflections on ecological disaster, ‘Hanabi’ examines the long-term consequences of Fukushima while also considering how people continue to search for hope and connection after catastrophe.