Title from title frames

After the atomic obliteration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, over 36,000 Australian men and women, part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF), marched onto Japanese soil. They were assigned the toughest and most dangerous area of Japan: Hiroshima Prefecture, which included the atom-bombed city. The Forgotten Force tells for the first time the story of Australia's role in Japan. Rare archival and private footage, photographs and eyewitness accounts from both sides vividly recreate the atmosphere of post-war Japan - the horror of Hiroshima and its aftermath; the struggle to build a new "democratic" society while under the heel of military rule; the growth from suspicion and fear to friendship and trust between foes. The Forgotten Force also reveals that today many veterans of the occupation force live with a more sinister legacy of their time in Japan. Many are dying of cancers they believe to be caused by exposure to radiation while on duty in Japan. Fifty years on, the service of these men and women in the occupation of Japan is forgotten - missing from the pages of history and unacknowledged by successive Australian governments. This film finally argues that now the time has come for the work of the BCOF to be remembered and rewarded. A Film Australia National Interest Program. Produced with the assistance of The Japan Foundation and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Copyright - 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. Executive Producer: Chris Oliver Producer: Adrienne Parr Director: Raymond Quint Writer: Julian Leatherdale, Raymond Quint DOP/Cinematographer: Pieter De Vries, Rod Jong (Brisbane) Narrator/Presenter: Hugo Weaving Featured People: Phyllis Passmore, Sydney Margetts, Norman 'Bluey' White, Les Semken, Colin East, John Coffman, Yoko Kurokawa, Isamu Aoki, Max Purcell, Tomiko Andrew, Keith Boothroyd, Professor Eiji Takemae, Yasunori Sato, Tomoe Shimizu, Harold Andrew, Caroline Palmer, Meiko Yamada, Dr Roger Dunlop, Dr James Wood, Charles Nation, Yoshie Kawasaki

In Process Record

Originally produced by National Film and Sound Archive of Australia in 1994

Mode of access: World Wide Web

In English