The Joanna Macy Center for Resilience and Regeneration is proud to announce a special event in honor of Earth Justice Day. On April 24, 2024, at Naropa University’s Performing Arts Center from 12-1:30pm MT, a film screening and discussion featuring the film’s writer and producer, Mitchie Takeuchi.

Follow Setsuko Thurlow, a Hiroshima survivor, on her 75-year journey that channeled her horrific experience into life-long activism leading up to the moment the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) passed a landmark treaty moving the world closer towards eliminating all nuclear weapons. This extraordinary achievement received the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. This is a world premiere screening in the PBS format!

“The Vow From Hiroshima” is a poignant documentary that delves into the life of Setsuko Thurlow, a remarkable survivor of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. At just 13 years old when the bomb devastated her city in 1945, Setsuko’s harrowing experience is vividly captured in this intimate portrait. The film chronicles her enduring friendship with second-generation survivor Mitchie Takeuchi, offering a moving narrative of resilience and determination.

Setsuko’s story is one of tragedy and triumph, as she recalls being pulled from a burning building after the bomb’s impact, unable to save her 27 classmates who perished in the flames. This pivotal moment shaped her lifelong commitment to ensuring that no one else would suffer the same horrific fate.

Through decades of tireless activism, Setsuko’s journey culminates in a powerful milestone – the realization of her dream with the establishment of a Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Join us for an enlightening afternoon as we explore the legacy of courage and advocacy embodied by Setsuko Thurlow.

Bio: Mitchie Takeuchi is originally from Hiroshima and a long-time New York City resident. She has been a social entrepreneur, a writer and a filmmaker. Her grandfather, Dr. Ken Takeuchi, was the director of the Red Cross Hospital in Hiroshima when the city was leveled by the first use of an atomic bomb and he and her mother, Takako, survived.

Wanting to share what really happened under the mushroom cloud, Mitchie produced and co-wrote The Vow from Hiroshima, interweaving the life story of Hiroshima survivor and activist Setsuko Thurlow, intergenerational activism, and the historic negotiations of The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. After the film had a successful year-long theatrical run in 19 cities in Japan, Mitchie received the 2021 Japan Film Renaissance Conference Peace Film Award.

https://www.thevowfromhiroshima.com/

Naropa University welcomes participants with diverse abilities. If you require accommodations, please contact Kristin Anderson-Bohan at kbohan@naropa.edu at least two weeks prior to the event.