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Japan’s secret weapon — the balloon bomb project — recruited Japanese schoolgirls as workers in converted factory schools. The bombs were intended to strike the mainland U.S., and though the Japanese launched thousands of balloons, they had no idea the project was actually working. The U.S. military censored the news media, asking that reports of the mysterious explosions — mostly in open countryside — not be published or broadcast. So when the balloon bombs took the lives of the only Americans to die on the mainland during World War II, families were asked to not speak a word to the media about the Japanese origin of the explosion. In On Paper Wings, first-time filmmaker and Portlander Ilana Sol delicately excavates the forgotten history of balloon bombs and the lives they impacted. Featuring rarely seen footage of the bombs as well as interviews with the women who built them and families of the victims, the result is a carefully researched documentary about grief, injustice, and ultimately healing and reconciliation. Without sacrificing historical detail and complexity, the richly textured film deftly tells the stories of three different communities touched by the balloon bomb project.

It's about forgiveness.   The Portland Tribune Oregon Humanities Magazine

Though the film is ostensibly about the balloon bomb project and its forgotten history, it is also a poignant anti-war film that resonates with issues we face today: the toll of war, the death of innocents, and the suspension of constitutional rights. More importantly, however, On Paper Wings documents the power of forgiveness and illuminates our common humanity. --Marie Lo, The Asian Reporter

Screening followed by Q&A Conversation with Ilana Sol, led by Patricia Del Ruth.

About Ilana Sol Ilana Sol is a filmmaker who lives and works in Portland, Oregon. She has worked in the film industry for ten years on a variety of independent, educational and commercial projects. She currently works part-time at the Northwest Film Center in addition to doing freelance research and production work. When her hobby of historical research led her to find out about the Japanese balloon bombs, she soon found herself spending hundreds of hours researching these bizarre weapons, and traveling thousands of miles to meet with those affected by them. Truth is often stranger than fiction, and this has solidified her love of documentary filmmaking. “On Paper Wings” is her first film.

About Patricia West-Del Ruth

Patricia West-Del Ruth, M.A., is currently serving on the Film Oregon Alliance Board of Directors as the organization's first Director of Cinema Arts Education and chairs the Education Committee.

Patricia was voted as one of the top 50 people to watch by San Diego North Magazine for 2005 for producing and hosting award-winning television programming that featured film industry professionals.

She is also a Creative Consultant for individuals pursuing professional careers in acting, screenwriting and independent filmmaking. Patricia also has managed for 27 years the cinematography career of her husband Thomas Del Ruth, A.S.C. Two-time Emmy Award® winner for The West Wing.