Atomic Echoes: Untold Stories from World War II
Aug. 1, 2025 : With Blue Chalk Media
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Atomic Echoes: Untold Stories from World War II is an original Blue Chalk documentary that explores the intertwined legacies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki through the eyes of two women whose families stood on opposite sides of World War II.
The film follows authors Karin Tanabe and Victoria Kelly as they trace their family histories—Karin’s great-great-uncle, who was from Hiroshima, dedicated his life to peace-building after the bombing, while Victoria’s grandfather, an American veteran who served in Nagasaki, carried the trauma of what he witnessed for the rest of his life.
Through conversations with the last remaining Japanese hibakusha and American atomic veterans, along with historians and family members, Karin and Victoria uncover personal stories of loss, resilience, and reconciliation. Against the backdrop of the recently marked 80th anniversary of the bombings, Atomic Echoes offers a rare, intimate perspective on the nuclear age and its enduring human cost.
Atomic Echoes aired on public television stations nationwide on August 1, 2025, and is available to stream on PBS platforms.
- Beatrice Becette, Director/ Producer
- Chris Janjic, Director of Photography
- Greg Moyer, Executive Producer
- Pam Huling, Executive Producer
- Karin Tanabe, Producer
- Victoria Kelly, Producer
- Tim McLaughlin, Editor
- Conner Lee, Graphics
- Miró Merrill, Graphics
- Kenzie Bruce, Consulting Producer
- Amy Polansky, Supervising Producer
- Jessica Stewart, Supervising Producer
- Mariko Fujinaka, Supervising Producer / Translator
- Natalie Eng, Associate Editor
- Ian Miller, Associate Editor
- Caroline Weaver, Associate Editor
- Daishi Kusunoki, Camera Operator
- Dillon Deaton, Camera Operator
- Jacob Velander, Camera Operator
- Jhad Villena, Camera Operator
- Ray Whitehouse, Camera Operator
- Scott Larson, Camera Operator
- Adam Biel, Sound Recordist
- David Gutierrez, Sound Recordist
- John Chay, Sound Recordist
- Nao Nakazawa, Sound Recordist / Production Support / Translator
- Chad Cannon, Music Composer
- Universal Production Music, Additional Music
- Th3rd Sound, Sound Design
- Darren Hartman, Color
- Hisashi Todd Fujinaka, Translator
- Kunio Tanabe, Translator
- Megumi Nishikura, Translator
- Ruth Aravena, Communications & Digital Operations Director
- Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion of Peace, Special Thanks
- Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, Special Thanks
- Nagasaki Film & Media Commission (JFC)/Nagasaki Prefecture Tourism Association, Special Thanks
- Hiroshima Film Commission (JFC), Special Thanks
- Hiroshima University and President Mitsuo Ochi, Special Thanks
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park & Museum, Special Thanks
- Archie Moczygemba, Special Thanks
- Michas Ohnstad, Special Thanks
- Larry Pressley, Special Thanks
- Doctor Masao Tomonaga, Special Thanks
- Koko Kondo, Special Thanks
- Sei Matsuda, Special Thanks
- Yuki Yonezawa, Special Thanks
- Noriko Hashiba, Special Thanks
- Ohya Masato, Special Thanks
- Noriyasu Takahira, Special Thanks
- Masamichi Shimashita, Special Thanks
- Hitoshi Yamaguchi, Special Thanks
- Colleen Shogan, Special Thanks
- Daniel Rooney, Special Thanks
- Representative Pete Stauber, Special Thanks
- Representative John Carter, Special Thanks
- Representative James E. Clyburn, Special Thanks
- Brook Hersey, Special Thanks
- Color Grading
- Creative Development
- Original Cinematography
- Original Graphic Design
- Original Motion Graphics
- Original Music Composition
- Original Sound Design
- Post-Production
- Pre-Production
- Research
- Story Development