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The Memories of Others

A short documentary film uncovering Japanese photographer Akihiko Okamura's extraordinary work in Ireland during the "Troubles," and the artistic and emotional impact of its recent rediscovery.

  • Pauline Vermare
    Director
  • Marc Lesser
    Director
  • Marc Lesser
    Producer
  • Pauline Vermare
    Producer
  • Noah Avidan
    Producer
  • Trish Lambe
    Key Cast
  • Sean O'Hagan
    Key Cast
  • Tom Burke
    Key Cast
  • Amthony Haughey
    Key Cast
  • Rihito Kimura
    Key Cast
  • Masako Toda
    Key Cast
  • Tetsuo Toda
    Key Cast
  • Danny Morrison
    Key Cast
  • Noah Avidan
    Editors
  • Marc Lesser
    Editors
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 11, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    15,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    France, Ireland, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, Ireland, Japan
  • Language:
    English, Japanese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.90∶1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Photo Museum Ireland Exhibition Screening
    Dublin
    Ireland
    April 11, 2024
    Exhibition screening premiere
Director Biography - Pauline Vermare, Marc Lesser

Pauline Vermare (b. Paris, 1978) is a French-American photography historian, curator and writer based in Brooklyn. She is presently the photography curator of the Brooklyn Museum, and previously held positions at Magnum Photos, ICP and MoMA. She is the author of numerous essays on photography, including Japanese photographers. Her doctoral dissertation, which focused on the visual representation of Northern Ireland (1969-2022), included a chapter on Okamura's Irish work. This research led her to co-curate the exhibition The Memories of Others at Photo Museum Ireland, Dublin (April - July 2024); to publish the eponymous book with Atelier EXB and Prestel; and to co-direct this documentary with Marc Lesser. Vermare sits on the boards of the Saul Leiter Foundation and the Catherine Leroy Fund. She was named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by French Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak in 2022.

Marc Lesser (PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, CINEMATOGRAPHER, EDITOR) (b.New Haven, 1974) is an Emmy nominated director and founder of Lucky Tiger Productions, a boutique production company in New York City. He was a producer and the cinematographer for the award-winning feature length documentary “Greenlit,” which premiered at SXSW in 2010 and “The Pathological Optimist,” which was released theatrically in 2017. Recent projects include directing four episodes of WeSpeak, a narrative television series that educates immigrants about their rights, that earned him several Emmy Awards nominations, including Best Director; producing and directing short documentaries and branded entertainment for non-profits, museums and corporations including Target, Amazon, Geico, WebMD, Everyday Health, Scary Mommy, JetBlue, American Express, Mattel and NBC Universal. He produced, shot and edited interviews with Michelle Obama and Alicia Keys, as well as the VR piece “The Immersive Saul Leiter Studio Experience,” which premiered at the Bunkamura Museum in Tokyo in July 2023. Marc received an M.F.A. in filmmaking from the City College of New York.

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Director Statement

In "THE MEMORIES OF OTHERS," through the lens of renowned yet relatively unknown Japanese photographer Akihiko Okamura, we delve into 1970s Ireland: the daily lives of Irish people in the north and in the south, the violence of war and colonization, and the enduring human connections that transcend national borders. We explore the profound power of photography to bear witness to the world, and to capture the essence of the human condition.

At its core, our film is a meditation on the universal values that underpin our existence: ethics, social justice, and the propensity for both war and conflict resolution. Okamura's decision to move with his family to Ireland during the Troubles serves as a poignant backdrop against which these core human values are illuminated. Through Okamura’s pictorial imagery, we confront the fragile tapestry of human existence, and the role of art and poetry in shaping our daily lives and collective memory.

"THE MEMORIES OF OTHERS" is a celebration of empathy and curiosity, a testament to the importance of engaging with the world and embracing other cultures. Through meticulous composition of imagery and sound, we immerse the audience in Okamura's creative process, inviting them to experience the subtlety and evocative nature of his photographs of Ireland during the conflict. The many interviews, conducted both in Ireland and Japan, allow us to measure the quintessential importance of looking into each other’s lives and experiences with thoughtfulness and care.

Our aesthetic approach is inspired by Okamura's own style, rooted in the rarely explored visual, political, and cultural bridges between Japan and Ireland. By tracing Okamura's footsteps across both countries, we seek to capture the essence of his unique vision, honoring his legacy through a visual language that transcends borders and resonates with universal truths.

Through Okamura's lens, we see the ordinary turned into extraordinary, the seemingly mundane transformed into something visceral and emotionally resonant."THE MEMORIES OF OTHERS" is a testament to the enduring power of photography to shape our understanding of the world, to confront injustice, and to inspire change. With this documentary film, we want to emphasize the power of the arts in our societies: by bearing witness, believing in justice and peace, and inspiring awe, photographers can effectively help make the world a better place.