Film screenings show movies can help treat trauma

Social welfare professionals from China and Japan had a rare chance to sit down together in Beijing to share their experiences in disaster relief, child welfare and professional training.

The meeting between representatives of the One Foundation, China's first private charitable fundraising organization, and the Beijing bureau staff of Japan International Cooperation Agency, a government agency dedicated to development assistance, took place on March 20. At the forum, the two sides talked about how films could help record life after natural disasters and help heal trauma.

Businesses such as Coca-Cola China and JD.com also sent their corporate social responsibility experts to join the conversation.

Two films - one made in China and one in Japan - focusing on the after effects of disasters were shown at the forum.

The Chinese film, This Summer Cinema on the Way, presented by the One Foundation, documented how people tried to get their lives back to normal after the 2013 earthquake in Lushan, Sichuan province.

The Japanese film, The Utagokoro, directed by Takeshi Shiba, tells the story of how a high-school choir-girl struggled to find her way back to a normal life with her parents after the March 11 earthquake in 2011.

According to a 2014 research by Swiss Re, a global reinsurance company, out of ten areas that face the most severe threats from natural disasters, two are in China - Shanghai and the Pearl River Delta region.

Li Jianqiang, director of disaster prevention and reduction at the One Foundation, said disaster prevention and relief was not solely the responsibility of the government; individuals and NGOs should also take their share of responsibility.

Li said: "Disaster prevention and reduction is like salt for delicious food. One cannot cook delicious food without salt."

Taiji Nakazato, director of the JICA's Beijing bureau, said that Japan had gone through a number of natural disasters, in part due to its geological location, which had prompted many studies on disaster prevention and relief.

He said: "We would love to share with you the knowledge and experience we gained from years of researches and practices. We hope that by sharing these, we can contribute to China's national disaster relief efforts."

Li Guangzhao, the One Foundation's brand manager who organized the event, said she had felt uncertainty in holding this event at first in part due to political concerns. But after watching Japan's film and talking with the director, Li learnt how the Japanese see films of this kind as "a way to heal and pass down hope to the next generation". "The dialogue should continue." Li said.

chenmengwei@chinadaily.com.cn