A New Moon over Tohoku

'Shingetsu' is a Japanese word meaning 'new moon', the moon that can't be seen, yet it still exists in the darkness of the night sky. This film shares the voices of the Tohoku people who finally speak out and break their cultural silence for the first time in their lives to share their stories. Through their experiences, they discover something intangible and so simple, yet essential to human life. A young boy with a dream for the future and an old samurai with a new battle to fight, both determining their own paths through post 3/11 life. Shot on location over two and a half years in the coastal villages of three provinces affected by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident, 'Tohoku no Shingetsu: A New Moon Over Tohoku' is the voices from Miyage, Iwate and Fukushima. (Hawaii International Film Festival)