Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
This should be a great doc. Straight from the director: “Most people know George Takei as Mr. Sulu, the helmsman from the original STAR TREK television show and movies. Fewer people know that George was imprisoned for four years during his childhood in a Japanese American internment camp. In his activism, he equates the experience of Japanese Americans during WWII with the civil rights struggles that LGBT people face today. In 2005, after a lifetime of being “closeted” George “came out” publicly so that he could participate in the struggle for marriage equality. The film chronicles George’s rise to fame, and how he went from a STAR TREK celebrity to becoming an active voice in civil rights. George’s personal struggles with keeping his homosexuality a secret are recounted. But, it was ultimately George’s priority and commitment to civil rights that compelled him to “come out” at age 68. Prompted by California’s struggle for marriage equality, George used this opportunity to advocate for the cause by publicly announcing himself as a gay man in the media, and in 2008, he legally married his male partner of 25 years, Brad Altman.” (Treknews – George Takei)
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Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom – some playdates. It’s a nice documentary that has it’s harrowing parts, ut overall, it’s has some hope in the way of flowers. Other HBO playdates: July 18 (12:15 p.m.), 24 (4:15 p.m.) and 28 (6:00 a.m., 3:15p.m.) HBO2 playdate: July 18 (9:00 p.m.) (Monstersandcritics – Tsunami) The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom – Trailer (2012 ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE) from Tsunami Blossom on Vimeo.
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Jessica Yu interviewed by the LA Times about water in promotion of her film, “Last Call at the Oasis”. It’s about water and it’s depletion. This one quote says it all, “When Famiglietti says the aquifer under the Central Valley, which we use to irrigate a lot of the crops that provide one-fourth of the food in this country, could be depleted in as little as 60 years — that absolutely floored me.” (LA Times – Jessica Yu)
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[youtube]SxXtYkeFEGA[/youtube] Awesome to see a trailer after a couple of years in production! Catch this film and more at the CAAM SF Asian American International Film Festival! It’s coming up.
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It’s hard to write about 3.11 from this side of the planet. I watched the horrors on television, Ustream, and Twitter just an hour or so after attending an after event for an exhibition by James Jean, where I stood when I heard about the quake and tsunami. Like 9.11, you’ll remember what you were doing and who was around when you heard, and like with most, I experienced the devastation virtually. Living just a few blocks away, I’ve known filmmaker Shunji Iwai for a bit over a year as he was working on projects outside of Japan. He often discussed his life in America that didn’t include a need to work in Japan any time soon. Over many meals, he talked about the quake and had powerful views of how dangerous the radiation was for Tokyoites and of course the surrounding areas of Fukushima. Depressed, he was positive that if he was in Tokyo, he’d have moved far away as should everyone else. He knew the media was lying. He newly established an office, staff, had a completed film “Vampire,” and before I knew it he left America nearly overnight for Osaka. I’ve often wondered how my neighbor was doing. Just the other day I ran into him on Facebook. He messaged me that he’d send me his film about 3.11. I only loosely heard of his project and expected something that would be cinematic – in his way. It’s not. At least that’s what I thought at first. By the end, it is. It’s more of what can be thought of as a text book on film that’s heavy with interviews. As you’d expect there will be scenes of wreckage, but what Iwai captures is also his own experience that he shares with his new friends including a young girl activist. He too is experiencing the scenes, explanation and people as you are when you watch it. It’s not cinematic in a sense that he’s not trying to sway your emotions with pretty shots, but you are pushed deeply into understanding what 3.11 means from angles of indie media, nuclear plants, locals, professors, involved actors, and more. I was most touched by a professor in Kyoto who’s remarks about the children affected by the radiation was especially touching and only then does his film crescendo into something that I could see crafted by Iwai’s hands. It’s all in the last last few minutes that you realize his artistic vision for this film.
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