Chemicals are sinister and little recognized partners of radiation in changing the very

nature of the world, the very nature of its life.

Children born today are exposed to these chemicals from birth, perhaps even before
birth. Now what is going to happen to them in adult life as a result of that exposure,
we simply dont know because we never before had this kind of experience.
Unless we do bring these chemicals under better control, we are certainly headed for
a disaster.
LIVING THE SILENT SPRING
Deep Scars of Defoliants from Vietnam War
From Silent Spring by Rachel Carson 1962
Directed and Produced by Masako Sakata
Co-producer: Tetsujiro Yamagami
Editor: John Junkerman
Cameraman: Bill Megalos, Takenori Yamada
2011 Masako Sakata
Documentary/color/HDV/87 min./English & Vietnamese
Fifty years ago, Rachel Carsons Silent Spring
warned of the danger of widespread use of
pesticides, helping to launch the environmental
movement in the US. Around the same time, the
US military began to spray defoliants in Vietnam
to deny cover to guerrilla forces. The defoliants,
including Agent Orange, were contaminated with
the deadly toxin, dioxin. Agent Orange continues
to affect the children and grandchildren of those
exposed both in Vietnam and America to this day.
Heather Bowser, the daughter of an American
veteran, was born missing a leg and some ngers.
Her fathers exposure to Agent Orange is thought
to be the cause of her birth defects. Heather visits
Vietnam and discovers the importance of build-
ing links between victims of Agent Orange in the
US and Vietnam.
Living the Silent Spring depicts the struggles and
courage of American and Vietnamese children
who bear the imprint of Agent Orange, and asks
us to once again pay attention to the prophetic
warnings of Rachel Carson.
MASAKO SAKATA
Documentary lmmaker.
Born in Nagano in 1948.
Upon the death of her
husband, photojournalist
Greg Davis, she decided
to make a documentary
lm about Agent Orange.
She lmed Agent Orange
victims and their families
in Vietnam, Agent Orange:
A Personal Requiem was
completed in 2007. The
lm has won many prizes,
including the Mainichi
documentary lm award,
the Paris International
Environmental Film Festival
LIVING THE SILENT SPRING
Deep Scars of Defoliants from Vietnam War
special prize, and the Earth
Vision special jury award.
Living the Silent Spring
is a sequel. It has so far won
Audience Award at Aichi
International Womens
Film Festival, First Prize
of Japan Film Pen Club,
and Galaxy award with its
TV version.
Contact: Masako Sakata
masakosakata@gmail.com