GRÜSSE AUS FUKUSHIMA

Young German woman Marie escapes to Fukushima to change her life. Working with the organization Clowns4Help, she hopes to bring joy to survivors of the 2011 catastrophe still living in emergency shelters. Marie soon realizes she’s absolutely unsuited to the task of making tragedy less wearisome. But instead of running away, Marie decides to stay with cantankerous old Satomi, the last geisha of Fukushima, who of her own accord has decided to retreat back to her destroyed house in the former radioactive exclusion zone. Two women who couldn’t be more different, but who — each in her own way — are trapped in the past and must learn to liberate themselves from guilt and the burden of memory.

A universal and poetic tale about life and letting go from acclaimed writer-director Doris Dörrie (BLISS, CHERRY BLOSSOMS — HANAMI, NOBODY LOVES ME, THE HAIRDRESSER, ENLIGHTENMENT GUARANTEED, MEN). For the first time, one of her feature films has been shot entirely in Japan and in breathtaking black and white.

Director

DORIS DÖRRIE was born in Hanover. After studying Acting, Philosophy and Psychology in the US, she studied at the University of Television & Film in Munich, where she now runs the Creative Writing Department. In addition to directing, she is also a novelist. Her award-winning films include: STRAIGHT THROUGH THE HEART (1983), INSIDE THE BELLY OF THE WHALE (1984), MEN (1985), PARADISE (1986), ME AND HIM (1988), MONEY (1989), HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (1992), NOBODY LOVES ME (1994), AM I BEAUTIFUL? (1998), ENLIGHTENMENT GUARANTEED (2000), "NAKED" (2002), THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE — WHY WOMEN NEVER GET ENOUGH (2005), HOW TO COOK YOUR LIFE (2007), CHERRY BLOSSOMS — HANAMI (2008), THE HAIRDRESSER (2010), BLISS (2011), THE WHOLE SHEBANG (2014), and FUKUSHIMA, MON AMOUR (2016).