Paper Crane Dichotomy 

Paper Crane Dichotomy is a documentary in development that retraces the wartime journey of my Dutch-Indonesian grandfather, Willem Rudolph van Tongeren, who survived Japanese captivity and forced labour in Nagasaki during the Second World War.

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Drawing on his unpublished writings, family archives and my own travels through Indonesia and Japan, the film explores inherited trauma, historical responsibility and the contradictions of memory and reconciliation, including the devastating legacy of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, which he witnessed from a distance.

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This short opening sequence offers a glimpse into the documentary's personal narrative and visual approach, where family memory intersects with a complex and often uncomfortable history.