Hawaii International Film Festival 2009

The title refers to the radioactive fallout which descended upon ruined city of Hiroshima after the dropping of the first atomic bomb. Young bride-to-be Yoshiko Tanaka has the misfortune to be visiting Hiroshima on the day of the explosion. Incredibly, she is unhurt; she returns to her own village, across the bay from Hiroshima. Unfortunately, her townsmen have been profoundly affected by the "black rain"; over the next five years, the poison in their systems slowly but surely erodes their souls. Yoshiko's life is shattered as surely as if the bomb had disintegrated her upon impact. Based on a novel by Masuji Ibuse, BLACK RAIN won the Japanese equivalent of the Academy Award.

Presented by the National Resource Center East Asia.