Wikipedia

Atomic Mom

Atomic Mom is a 2010 documentary film written and directed by M.T. Silvia about the complex experiences of two women struggling with the emotional repercussions of their connections to the nuclear bombings on Hiroshima, Japan, at the end of World War II in August 1945.

Atomic Mom
Film poster
Directed byM.T. Silvia
Produced byM.T. Silvia, Sarah Dunham
StarringPauline Silvia, Emiko Okada
CinematographyKazushi Kuroda
Edited byJennifer Chinlund
Music byMarco d’Ambrosio, Klaudia Promessi
Distributed byWomen Make Movies and Smartgirl Productions
Release date
  • October 10, 2010 (2010-10-10)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish, Japanese [English Subtitles]

Synopsis

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Atomic Mom is a documentary film written and directed by M.T Silvia, which focuses on the connection between two mothers that are each on a different end of the Hiroshima atomic warfare spectrum: Pauline Silvia, a United States Navy biologist, and one of the only women scientists present during the 1953 radiation detonations of Operation Upshot–Knothole at the then-Nevada Test Site, and Emiko Okada, a Japanese woman who was exposed to radiation from the Hiroshima nuclear bombings as a child.[1] Atomic Mom also offers a comparison of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and the Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada.[2] Through the use of numerous interviews with Japanese doctors, historians and Hiroshima survivors, M.T Silvia discusses matters of censorship, value of scientific innovation, human rights, personal responsibility and the prospect of world peace in the aftermath of Hiroshima.[3]

Interviews

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Production

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Despite accruing multiple professional filmography credits for her studio management work on various Pixar films, Atomic Mom was the first internationally recognized film that M.T Silvia produced and directed as an independent film maker.[4][2][5]

Funding for the film was procured from dozens of individual donors as well as Nevada Humanities, Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, The Pacific Pioneer Fund, and Google Matching Funds.[6]

Reception

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Robert Jacobs of The Asia-Pacific Journal called Atomic Mom “ambitious” and “complex”, and praised Silvia for making a “film that is both historically compelling and deeply personal, a rare achievement.”[7]

Awards

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Festivals/Screenings

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United States

International

  • Mexico City International Film Festival
  • Hiroshima Peace Film Festival (Japan)
  • Off Plus Camera International Festival of Independent Cinema (Poland)
  • Addis International Film Festival (Ethiopia)
  • International Uranium Film Festival (Brazil)

Other Screenings

References

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  1. ^ Kosaka, Kris. "Film helps heal A-bombing, and family, wounds." Japan Times, The. Tokyo: NewsBank, 10 August 2013.
  2. ^ a b Flynn, Sean. "Facing the Fallout." The Newport Daily News. NewportRI.com, 8 Aug. 2011. Web. <http://www.newportri.com/features/film/facing-the-fallout/article_7b1b7354-3459-5e88-bd7c-3d9b00d05d0e.html Archived 2012-10-17 at the Wayback Machine>
  3. ^ Women Make Movies. “M.T. Silvia” December 2011. Web. April 2015 <http://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/makers/fm810.shtml Archived 2014-07-02 at the Wayback Machine>.
  4. ^ Fuchs, Cynthia. "Atomic Mom: Mothers and Daughters Reflect on the Bomb." PopMaters. N.p., 26 Mar. 2012. Web. <http://www.popmatters.com/review/156411-atomic-mom-mothers-and-daughters-remember/>
  5. ^ Lucinda Breeding. "'Atomic Mom' packs an emotional punch THIN LINE FILM FEST SCHEDULE." Denton Record-Chronicle (TX) 19 Feb. 2011, News: 1a. NewsBank. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
  6. ^ "Atomic Mom | Press kit - List of Partial Credits". Archived from the original on 2015-04-19. Retrieved 2015-04-19.
  7. ^ Robert Jacobs, 'The Atomic Bomb and Hiroshima on the Silver Screen: Two New Documentaries,' The Asia-Pacific Journal Vol 9, Issue 42 No 3, October 17, 2011.
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