You are invited to attend a screening of the documentary film Resonance: The Odyssey of the Bells from 7-9PM on April 29th hosted by the Alworth Institute.  Please mark your calendars and forward this invitation to others. This screening is part of the Alworth’s “International Lecture” series.   Resonance shows Duluth in a positive light as it highlights the city’s efforts after WWII to mend the scars of the war and re-humanize a former enemy through the return of a centuries-old Buddhist temple bell considered sacred to the Japanese.  Discussions will revolve around how a historical documentary like Resonance acts as a reminder of how citizen action plays a crucial role in restoring positive relations with former enemies in the wake of war. A 30-minute version of Resonance will be screened and followed by director Q/A.

Resonance: The Odyssey of the Bells Resonance tells the forgotten stories of two sacred Buddhist temple bells that survived the scrap metal drives of WWII only to be taken by the US Navy as war trophies and given to the cities of Duluth, Minnesota and Topeka, Kansas.  In the decades following the war the difficult process required to return these bells reconnected two nations that had been torn apart by war.  For Duluth, the return of this bell forged the connection with Japan that later inspired the prosperous Duluth/Isumi Sister City relationship and Peace Bell in Enger Park.

Project History – Project Goals The documentary film Resonance is built on research conducted in America, Japan and Great Britain.  After learning of over five bells brought to the United States after WWII, a story emerged that focuses on the Duluth and contrasting Topeka bell story. In the fall of 2007, a 10-minute excerpt of the film was aired on Twin Cities Public TV in conjuction with Ken Burns’ “The War.” The 30-minute version of the film is an official selection at the 2009 Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, April 15-28th. Resonance will be entered in national and international film festivals and seek broadcast on both American and Japanese public television.

Paul Creager
Director