Otsuchi-cho, Iwate Prefecture was swept away by the huge tsunami in an instant. Wishing to bring color back to the grey town, the people of Otsuchi-cho decided to collaborate with the Taiwanese artists group "Formosa Wall Painting Group" to create a wall painting work, coordinated by Kobe's Hisaichi Shimin Koryukai. "The Hope Tree / Otsuchi Art Collaborative Project by Japan & Taiwan" captures their one-week project. Hisaichi Shimin Koryukai, members of which experienced the Great Hanshin Earthquake, assisted in the recovery from the big earthquake in Taiwan in 1999 and have kept in touch with the victims, which led to this art relief project. The painting of a big tree and rainbow lit up the devastated town. Art students from a local high school worked hard to overcome the language barrier in order to communicate with the Taiwanese artists.
(Translation by Osaka Asian Film Festival 2013)