Aomori Contemporary Art Centre (ACAC) hosted Film Festival as a Tent at Aomori City Gymnasium, an athletic complex which doubles as a new disaster relief centre for Aomori City. The idea of the ‘tent’ (as a kind of temporarily constructed community) stood here as a metaphor for the experience of watching films together in one place with many people. In addition to film screenings, the festival featured talks, a library, workshop booths and delicious food; the aim was to create a space where people could develop an awareness of the physical and mental preparations that are only possible in times of peace. The film festival became more of a one-day-only community get-together, as the hosts and participants combined their knowledge and experiences to break down the barriers between them as much as possible.

Film Screening Programme
A Brief Preface to Viewing Films of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 (15:00–16:00)
At the time of the Great Kanto Earthquake, films (then known as ‘motion pictures’) had ascended to the throne of popular entertainment. But beyond the spectacle, the idea of film as a medium for news and documentation was beginning to take root. This meticulous archival footage depicts houses crumbling among raging flames, victims gathering in public squares with their remaining possessions on their backs, the perseverance of firefighters and people working in rescue efforts, and efforts toward recovery. As the audience browsed on the archival site accompanied by the commentary of TOCHIGI Akira, they contemplated the examples set by their forebears and the lessons they hold for disaster preparedness in the present day.

Past disasters in Aomori and the new disaster relief centre (16:30–17:00)
Aomori City Gymnasium, Aomori City’s new disaster relief centre, opened in 2024. In the event of an emergency, this complex will also serve as an evacuation shelter for a large number of people. Following a screening of the film Past Disasters in Aomori Prefecture, KUBOTA Mana, the Gymnasium’s deputy director, provided an overview of its facilities and led participants on a tour of the stockpile warehouse.

Screening of Voices from the Waves: SHINCHIMACHI (19:30–21:30)
A sequel to The Sound of Waves, this documentary film about the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake does not revolve around heartbreaking footage of disaster-hit areas. Instead, it consists of conversations between closely related victims of the tsunami such as siblings, couples, and fellow members of volunteer fire brigades. Gathered by directors SAKAI Ko and HAMAGUCHI Ryusuke in the town of Shinchi in Fukushima Prefecture, the footage shows people using dialogue to recall their fading memories and renew their determination to persevere. Following the screening, we invited AIZAWA Kumi, the film’s producer, to join us online for a Q&A session.

Additional Programmes
Shop supporting recovery efforts in Noto (12:00–16:00)
As a component of a seminar led by NOZAKA Shin of Aomori Public University, this shop formed part of a charity project supporting residents of areas affected by the earthquake and flooding in the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture in 2024. Students from the seminar travelled to the peninsula and visited places like the Wajima Morning Market, selecting foods, drinks, and handicrafts from the shops there to take back and sell at the film festival. The shop also screened a film made by Town Management Organization Wajima, which is involved in recovery efforts in Wajima City.

Concessions (12:00–)
For a relaxing break during the programme, refreshments were provided by local café Antena Aomori, whose cyclist proprietor offered coffee and sweets, and cotocoto kitchen car, which served up snacks, sweets and drinks prepared with care.

Cardboard bed assembly workshop (13:00–14:00)
We conducted a cardboard bed assembly workshop, recruiting participants from among the festivalgoers with the help of student staff. A total of 6 cardboard beds were assembled and later used as seating for the film screenings.

Commons library (12:00–18:00)
We distributed free newspapers and booklets on disaster preparedness gathered from across Aomori and other localities, and displayed publications recommended by the film festival staff and other event collaborators. Visitors’ eyes were drawn to this impressive body of materials gathered under one roof, particularly the regional differences and creative particularities by which knowledge of disaster prevention and records of past disasters are collected and disseminated. In addition, we displayed texts written by each recommender about their selected books, hoping to encourage visitors to engage with the books from various perspectives.

What-if dialogue (Part 1: 12:00–15:00; Part 2: 17:30–19:00)
For the workshop in Part 1, participants wrote down and shared potential ‘problems’ that could occur during disasters, as well as individual ‘strengths’ which could be used to address others’ ‘problems’. Part 2 was a game-style workshop in which participants made groups to consider certain ‘questions with no right answers’ which they might be confronted with during disasters, based on past cases. This programme provided an opportunity for participants of different ages and backgrounds to reflect on their mental preparedness for disasters, as well as on the burden of decision-making in the face of uncertainty.

Free camping area (12:00–18:00)
We opened a one-day-only free camping area in the green space next to ‘Yoridoma’, the semi-outdoor covered area between the main arena and the sub-arena of the complex. The outdoor goods store GREEN HOUSE conducted a tent-pitching workshop for beginners, and also introduced various outdoor/camping products that can come in handy during disasters.