Bicentennial Bonsai: Emissaries of Peace
SUNDAY | 3:20pm
Paul Awad and Kathryn O’Sullivan
35 min | 2020 | USA | New England Premiere
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT - Sponsored by Real Italian Gusto, Medford
“If more people did bonsai, there would be more peace in the world.”
– Saburo Kato (1915-2008), Bonsai Master
In 1975, only 30 years after the United States and Japan had been at war, Japan gave 53 priceless bonsai trees to the United States in celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial. Some bonsai were several hundred years old. One had remarkably survived the bombing of Hiroshima. This documentary chronicles this historic gift, includes rare interviews and archival footage, and reveals how we can rediscover our shared humanity and establish a path toward healing and world peace.
Awards: Best Work which reflects the value of cinema to help create a better world at Utopia Film Festival, US; Official Selection at Dunedin International Film Festival, US; Official Selection at Loudoun Arts Film Festival, VA.
Screening followed by Q&A with Filmmakers