On March 14, the documentary on the Great East Japan Earthquake “Pray for Japan” was given a special showing in 17 cities across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.

    As advance tickets for the showing in Atlanta were snapped up quickly, AMC moved the showing to a larger-than-anticipated 250-seat theater. Even then, there were some who were unable to buy a ticket at the day of the event.

    To help introduce to Americans the people who are living in the disaster-affected area, the Consulate-General of Japan helped get the word out regarding the film showing. With the help of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, the Japan-America Society of Georgia, and several Japanese companies and restaurants in the Atlanta area, we reached out to many across the city, in the hope that even if they didn’t make it in to see the movie that they would think about the anniversary of the disaster.

    Despite some criticism that the film has limited footage of the disaster itself, the showing in Atlanta, whose proceeds went to Japan disaster relief charity, provided an excellent opportunity to show the many faces of those working in Japan, both Japanese and non-Japanese, to restore the Tohoku region.