Paper City

Documentary on three elderly survivors of the firebombing of Tokyo, looking to solidify their experiences on public record decades on.

At just after midnight on March 10, 1945, the U.S. carried out a massive air attack on eastern Tokyo. In this densely urban area of wooden and paper houses, incendiary bombs unleashed a firestorm. As air raid sirens rang out, people leapt from their beds, gathered their families and fled to the streets—only to find their escape routes already cut off. By morning, more than 100,000 people were dead, a quarter of the city wiped off the map. Seven decades on, the trauma remains seared in the memories of survivors—and yet is barely discussed in Japan or abroad. On the 70th anniversary of this tragic date, they launch one final campaign to have the Japanese Government formally recognise civilian victims before they pass away.

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