Upcoming Screenings: Ashland Independent Film Festival, April April 23 - 26, 2026
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Upcoming Screenings: Ashland Independent Film Festival, April April 23 - 26, 2026 〰️
A survivor of the Hiroshima atom bomb confronts her trauma and gathers seeds of trees that survived the blast; planting symbols of hope, healing, and remembrance in towns across Oregon eighty years later.
As a ten year old girl, Hideko Tamura Snider was an eyewitness to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Suffering the loss of her mother and family, she dedicated her life to sharing a message of peace, resilience, and collective healing.
In 2017, Hideko joined a global effort to cultivate peace by collecting the seeds of trees that also survived the atomic bomb. But Hideko could not do this alone.
A network of professionals stepped in at critical points to grow these seeds and distribute over 55 trees to communities across Oregon. Plantings across the state are led by groups of differing backgrounds and experiences ranging from veterans groups to religious organizations, and from children to elders. While each peace tree in Oregon began as a seed from Hideko’s message of peace, we discover that each has taken root in a community with its own unique and symbolic meaning of peace and reconciliation.
“Isn’t it like a miracle that there is this peace tree that came back from an impossible assault on life? This is a messenger of peace, a reborn life coming to you, and it will not grow without your care.”
Featuring
Hideko Tamura Snider
Protagonist
Hideko Tamura Snider was a 10-year-old in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb hit in 1945. She moved to the U.S. in 1952 after high school. Her memoir, One Sunny Day: A Child’s Memory of Hiroshima, was republished by Oregon State University Press. Since 1979, she has spoken globally to various groups, sharing her story to promote peace and nuclear nonproliferation. Based in Medford, Oregon, she also initiated the Oregon Hiroshima Peace Tree Project.
Michael Oxendine
Deuteragonist
Michael Oxendine is an arborist and urban forester with 20+ years of experience, dedicated to promoting equity and environmental justice. He focuses on equitable access to green spaces for marginalized communities. In 2017, he began germinating seeds from Hiroshima Survivor Trees with Hideko Tamura Snider for communities across Oregon and the U.S.
Julie A. Fukuda
Film Narrator
Julie, born in Tokyo to a Japanese father and American mother, grew up admiring trees. Now in Portland, she narrates the film and supervises a tree planting team for the city, merging her passion for trees with urban forest management. She aims to encourage stewardship of this shared resource. Coincidentally, Julie’s mother attended Wooster College around the same time as Hideko.
Historical Experts
Hanako Wakatsuki-Chong
Executive Director, JAMO
Hanako Wakatsuki-Chong is the Executive Director of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon, and serves as a historical expert for the film. She has devoted the last 16 years of her personal and professional life preserving the history of the Japanese American incarceration experience during World War II. For the film, she helps contextualize the historical experiences of Japanese Americans and the many connections between Oregon and Hiroshima.
Linda Tamura, Ed.D
Historian and Educator
Linda Tamura serves as a historical expert for the film. She is Professor Emerita of Education, Willamette University. She is a Sansei (third generation Japanese American) and daughter of a World War II veteran. Raised on an orchard in Hood River, Oregon, Linda shares her family story and connections to Hiroshima. Her scholarly works include: Nisei Soldiers Break their Silence (University of Washington Press, 2011) and Hood River Issei (University of Illinois Press, 1993).
Gayle Yamasaki
Educator and Organizer
Gayle Yamasaki is an educational and cultural leader in Klamath Falls and Southern Oregon. As a historical expert for the film she brings added context to Japanese American incarceration through her work in healing and remembrance ceremonies with the general public and middle and high school students.
Creative Team
David-Paul B. Hedberg
Producer & Director
David-Paul (Dave) Hedberg is an independent historian and resident filmmaker at NW Documentary in Portland, Oregon. He has collaboratively produced historical exhibitions, films, and publications for clients across the Pacific Northwest. He brings his skills as an archival researcher and oral historian to filmmaking to help shine light on lesser known characters, historical topics, and places. His work is grounded in archival research, the shared authority of oral history and elder testimony, and a deep connection to the history and landscape of the Pacific Northwest. The Seeds of Peace is his first feature film as a director.
James Krzmarzick
Cinematographer
James Krzmarzick is a filmmaker based in Canby, Oregon. Drawing his inspiration from nature, his focus is on stories with environmental and social impact. In programs at Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and Recording Resilience, he has worked as an instructor and mentor to foster youth in the value and skills of storytelling through film. James has produced short films for NW Documentary, Portland Urban Forestry, and the Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association. His most recent project has been Canopy Stories, in which he contributed the piece 82nd and Verdant and served as associate producer.
Matthew Evans
Composer
Fog Chaser is Matthew M. Evans' instrumental project. Fog Chaser’s music score for the film features ambient and neoclassical compositions built on atmospheric textures and emotional melodic themes. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Evans has scored independent films and his music, with over 1 million Spotify streams and releases on labels like Bigo & Twigetti and Sonder House, has been featured on MTV and in films. Currently studying film composition at Berklee College of Music, he releases a new instrumental monthly via his newsletter, fogchaser.net.
Rehanah Spence
Art Director
Rehanah, Art Director for the film, draws her unique perspective from her graphic designer, Muslim refugee mother from Uganda, and engineer father from West Virginia. This dual heritage informs her design process, enabling her to explore universal themes and celebrate cultural distinctiveness. With over 18 years of experience in diverse design projects, her passion is empowering organizations and individuals through graphic design to foster positive community change. She earned a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2006.
Norie Fukuda-Matsushima
Archival Producer
Norie, an Archival Producer in Japan, sourced a rich collection of archival materials for the film, prioritizing Japanese artists, photographers, and stories. With a master's degree in architecture and 20+ years in architectural and interior design, she transitioned into film production, leveraging her bilingual and bicultural skills. Her goal is to connect Japan with the world.
Katy Gillmore
Picture Finishing
Katy (Aesthetica Post) served as Finishing Artist and Colorist, enhancing the film's visual impact and ensuring a quality final conform. With experience at Deluxe NYC and Technicolor PostWorks NY, she has worked as a conform editor, colorist, and digital restoration artist in feature films and documentaries, as well as an offline assistant editor for feature and episodic docs. She is passionate about guiding projects through each production phase, advising on color and post pipelines, and witnessing their growth to completion.
Meister
Animation & Graphics
CJ Cook — Animation Director
Skylar Storkamp — Producer
Jerry Jaimes — Designer and Animator
Jeanette Fantone — Animator
Meg O’Brien — Animator
Meister’s team of animators and motion graphics specialists helped bring life to a rich collection of archival images and enhance the feelings embedded in the experiences of those who were witness to Hiroshima and its aftermath.
Eric Stolberg
Audio Finishing
Digital One’s Eric Stolberg recorded narration, edited dialogue, and completed 5.1 and stereo cinema mixes for The Seeds of Peace, collaborating with the director to ensure the sound conveyed the story's emotional tone.
For over three decades, Digital One has assisted more than a hundred filmmakers. Their passion for storytelling and meticulous attention to sonic detail ensure that sound enhances the audience's experience of a story.
Media and Press Kit
Support the film by making a deductible donation
Please help support The Seeds of Peace. Your donation will directly support us in covering the costs of post-production and distribution of the film. Whether large or small, your donation matters and you’ll be directly acknowledged in the film’s credits.
Your donation will be handled through our fiscal sponsor NW Documentary, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
The Seeds of Peace is supported by the following organizations:
