March 11, 2011. First, the largest earthquake in Japan's modern history and then, thirty minutes later, dark tsunami waves roar in over the coast of North-Eastern Japan. As the water retreats from land it drags cars, homes and lives out into the sea.

'All Of Our Heartbeats Are Connected Through Exploding Stars' is a staggering odyssey told as a philosophical and emotional essay on grief and regeneration. The film moves from the shores of Japan to the islands of Hawaii, via rarely seen places thousands of meters below sea level. We meet Satoko, a young woman who struggles with overcoming her trauma from the disaster and finds a way out of the darkness when falling in love; Yasu, who has done over 100 dives in search for his lost wife; Sachiko, who keeps writing letters to her husband that was taken by the wave. Meanwhile on the other side of the ocean, in the Hawaiian island of Kaho’olawe a group of volunteers are gathering to clean the beach from Japanese tsunami debris floating in from the Ocean, all while sharing stories of the afterlife.

To the dramatic tones of composer Teho Teardo’s music, we go on a multi scale-poetic-narrative, following the movements of ocean currents across the Pacific Ocean, to tell the stories of how humans and nature rebuild from trauma

Dir. Jennifer Rainsford - 77min - 2022 - Sweden

"Rainsford...has an infectious sense of wonder at life in the universe; her attention drifts from the big bang to neurology, then plankton that seem as if they are at a rave. Under the microscope, these neon-lit little guys move in a trance like clubbers...I found it mesmerising" - Guardian

"A meditation on destruction and what it takes to rebuild" - ScreenDaily

"celebrates human resilience and the endless beauty of our planet." - Visions Du Reel

"beautifully filmed...Like the very best films of its kind...takes all this chaos and finds a point of stillness, a place from which it is possible to begin again." Eye for Film