Documentary

01:09:53

Japan

Mika Kawase & Isabelle Townsend

Synopsis:

On August 9, 1945, sixteen-year-old postman Sumiteru Taniguchi was delivering mail when the atomic bomb exploded over Nagasaki. Against all odds, he survived and became a leading voice for the Hibakushas (atomic bomb survivors), dedicating his life to peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons until his death in 2017.
The Postman of Nagasaki is a deeply personal documentary that weaves together three intertwined stories: that of Taniguchi; Peter Townsend, a Royal Air Force pilot, peace advocate, and author of the book The Postman of Nagasaki; and his daughter Isabelle, who embarks on a journey of discovery decades after her father’s death.
When Isabelle finds voice recordings from her father’s final trip to Japan, she recalls the book that first moved her as a young woman. Traveling to Nagasaki with these recordings in hand, she retraces his footsteps – guided by his voice and Taniguchi’s testimony. As she uncovers the profound lessons their shared mission holds for her own life, Isabelle comes to see how one survivor's courage and one writer's compassion elevated a single testimony into a timeless call for peace.

DIRECTOR'S BIOGRAPHY

Biography of Narrator, Co-Director, & Producer, Isabelle TOWNSEND:
Isabelle Townsend is a model, actress, storyteller, writer and producer. Following a worldwide modeling career in the 80’s working with photographers such as Bruce Weber and Peter Lindbergh, Isabelle signs an exclusive contract with designer Ralph Lauren. She begins her acting career in Joel and Ethan Coen’s film “BartonFink” which wins the Palme d’Or in Cannes in 1991. After the birth of her first child, she creates an interactive theatre project in English for French schools and shares her passion for the performing arts withyoung people by directing workshops and plays. Isabelle joins Irina Brook’s Dream Theatre company and tours in theatres throughout Europe.