Snow Falling on Cedars is a film directed by Scott Hicks. It is based on David Guterson's novel of the same title. It was released in 1999 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Set on the fictional San Piedro Island in the northern Puget Sound region of the Washington state coast in 1950, the plot revolves around the murder case of Kazuo Miyamoto , a Japanese American accused of killing Carl Heine, a Caucasian fisherman. The trial occurs in the midst of deep anti-Japanese sentiments following World War II. Covering the case is the editor of the town's one-man... newspaper, Ishmael Chambers , a World War II veteran who lost an arm fighting the Japanese. Ishmael struggles with his love for Kazuo's wife, Hatsue , and his conscience, wondering if Kazuo is truly innocent. Spearheading the prosecution are the town's sheriff, Art Moran , and prosecutor, Alvin Hooks . Leading the defense is the old, experienced attorney Nels Gudmundsson . An underlying theme throughout the trial is prejudice. Several witnesses, including Etta Heine , Carl's mother, accuse Kazuo of murdering Carl for racial and personal reasons.
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| Release date: | September 12, 1999 |
| Directed by: | Scott Hicks |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 127 Minutes |
| Producer: | Ronald Bass, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Harry J. Ufland |
| Editor: | Hank Corwin |
| Music by: | James Newton Howard |
| Cinematography: | Robert Richardson |
| Screenplay by: | Ronald Bass, Scott Hicks |
| Estimated budget: | $35,000,000 |
| Adapted from: | Snow Falling on Cedars |
| Genre: | Thriller |