Montreal: Telescene Communications has started principal photography on Hiroshima, an $8 million, four-hour miniseries coproduced with Daiei, Tokyo, and the first project under the new Canada/ Japan coproduction agreement.

Telescene president Robin Spry says the historic miniseries is backdropped by the looming shadow of the Cold War and the political and military machinations of the closing years of ww ii.

Starting with the death of fdr in April 1945, the production traces events, from both the Allied and Japanese perspective, leading to the dropping of the world’s first atomic bomb. Showtime Network in the u.s. will broadcast the world premiere on Aug. 6, the 50th anniversary of the attack.

Spry says the project required extensive research and some of the events were confirmed by survivors.

Roger Spottiswoode, director of the award-winning film And the Band Played On is directing in Canada, Koreyoshi Kurahara (Antarctica) will direct in Japan. Filming takes place in Montreal April 3 to May 6, with a single day in Toronto, and then moves to Japan for four additional weeks.

Leading players include Kenneth Welsh in the role of President Truman, Saul Rubinek, Richard Mazur, Jeff De Munn as Manhattan Project leader J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Sheena Larkin and Leni Parker as members of the Truman family.

John Hopkins and Toshiro Ishido wrote the script.

Craft credits go to dop Pierre Mignot, production designer Anne Pritchard, sound recordist Michel Charron, art director Jean Kazemirchuck, line producer Jacquie Dinsmore and pm Manon Bougie.

The miniseries will be edited by veteran Denis Papillon and Mark Conte at Montage Metaphore. Post and sound have been assigned to Supersuite and Modulation, respectively. The shoot is crewed by the stcvq.

Hiroshima executive producers are Spry, Paul Painter, Tetsuya Ikeda, Andrew Adelson and Michael Campus. Tracey Alexander is co-executive producer. Wadakura Kazutoshi and Tomoshiro Kalyama are producing for Daiei.