Director Lucy Walker Up For An Academy Award

Supply&Demand Integrated Director Lucy Walker and her film The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom will be headed to the 84th Academy Awards at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre on Feb. 26th. Nominations were announced at 5:30 A.M. Pacific Time at Beverly Hills’ Samuel Goldwyn Theatre. A film about the tragic aftermath of the tsunami disaster in Japan last March, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom is Walker’s second Oscar nomination. Her fourth film Waste Land was nominated last year for Best Documentary Feature. The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom is currently screening this week at the Sundance film festival and made its world premiere at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was also selected for festivals Hamptons International, BFI, and Ashland Independent among others.

 

The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom is a short documentary film about survivors from areas hardest hit and impacted during Japan’s March 2011 tsunami. The film is a beautifully told visual poem about the ephemeral nature of life and the healing power of Japan’s most beloved flower. As cherry blossom season emerges, so does the courage of these survivors, who find the strength to revive and rebuild their lives.

 

Supply & Demand Integrated EP/Partner and the film's producer Kira Carstensen notes, "The cherry blossoms, which announce springtime, arrived on the heels of a horrible disaster. It was beautiful to see the hope the blossoms gave to people who had lost everything—their homes, their jobs, their friends and their family members."

 

Featuring stunning photography by Aaron Phillips and music by Moby, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom was edited by Japanese-born Aki Mizutani.

 

“Aki was in Japan when the earthquake struck,” says Carstensen. “She brought a lot of energy and desire to the project. She had felt bad leaving Japan and thought that this was one way she could give back and help the people of Japan.”

 

For more information on The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom or to donate to those who have suffered, please visit the film’s website: http://www.thetsunamiandthecherryblossom.com

London born Walker signed with Supply&Demand Integrated early last year. Her feature doc Waste Land garnered an Oscar nomination and several awards including wins at the 2010 Sundance and Berlin International film festivals. The director has also had marked success with films Countdown to Zero (Best Documentary nomination 2010 International Press Academy Satellite Film Awards), Blindsight (Audience Awards Winner for 2007 Berlin International Film Festival and 2006 AFI Film Festival) and Devil's Playground (Audience Award Winner 2002 Best Film Sarasota International Film Festival). Both Waste Land and Countdown to Zero premiered in 2010 at Sundance, marking the first time a documentary director has had two feature films in one year at this festival.