HEY KIDS!

Rainy Sunday with a typhoon on the way!

But we had a near full house turnout for the always popular MUSIC SHORTS PROGRAM.

MUSIC SHORTS PROGRAM

We had 3 sets of guests come out greet the audience:

For “Back to Back” – Producer Akihiro Takayanagi & one of his leading ladies, actress Shizuka Umemoto.

Directors Lee Jungsu & Lee Jinwoo came out from Korea for their funky, groovy short “NA B YA.”

The final guests were director Kiyoshiro Ishida & actor Seiichiro Inamine for the coming-0f-age music video for the popular band VOLLYBOYS track “Graduation.”

NO MUSIC, NO SHORT FILM, NO LIFE!

 

CG ANIMATION 2 – JAPAN REPRESENTED!

For our 2nd screening of the day, we had Director Hiroshi Murakami come out to represent his 21 minute epic anime “FAREWELL GALAXY.”

The audience was blown away when Hiroshi revealed that it took nearly 10 years to complete his animated short. He began the project in 2008 & the story/script went through several transformations mainly due to the 3/11/2011 Great Eastern Japan Earthquake & Tsunami. Other factors were money, this was self-produced, time & his “day job.” Like we hear from many many filmmakers, the perennial problems of money & time always seem to make short filmmaking a challenge. But maybe those things are exactly what makes the submitted short films so exciting & full of passion. Filmmakers, keep making them!

 

NON-FICTION COMPETITION PROGRAM 2 – Q/A GUESTS FOR 2 WONDERFUL DOCS!

For our final screening n the final day here at this venue, we had Q/A’ sessions for 2 very different but equally inspiring shorts. 

For the short “OUR MAN IN TOKYO – THE BALLAD OF SHIN MIYATA,” we actually had the 

subject of the documentary Shin Miyata come to participate. The documentary traces Shin’s career as the premiere promoter & producer of Chicano music from L.A. here in Japan. He loved the music so much, he moved to L.A. in 1985 & proceeded to imbed himself into the Chicano culture. 

He told the audience that his experiences & the many many friends he made in the community & among the musicians that he brought to Japan are his most cherished possessions. 

The 2nd set of guests came out for the heart-warming doc “SMALL ISLAND BEAUTY SALON.”

It traces the only hair salon that Takatoshi Fukuda established on the small island of Tonakijima, a part of the Okinawa Islands chain. The amazing thing is that he would go for 10 days each month while operating his own salon on mainland Japan! And he did this for 10 years! 

Director Magoari Yamazato happened on this story when he saw the book of pictures that photographer Kozou Fukuoka published about the islanders & their “barber” who they would see only once a month. Beautiful!     

Hair, music & documentaries!
Director Magoari Yamazato, Photog Kozou Fukuda, Hair dresser Takatoshi Fukuda & his follower, Señor Shin Miyata – the music man!
So thats a wrap here at Space O in Omotesando Hills after excellent days of screenings. I always make a point of thanking the staff here at Space O, the sound & vision crew, & the many volunteers & interns who make this all possible. 

So now we move on down the street to Laforet in Harajuku for Week 2 of screenings from 06/13 – 06/17.

SEE YA THERE!

DJ JOHN