JAPANEMA MATINEES
We offer a cinema program called “JAPANEMA” at our auditorium. JAPANEMA comes from mixing “Japanese” and “cinema” into one word. It is a free screening series, filled with all kinds of films. We will have two kinds of screening; “JAPANEMA Matinees”, which is held during lunchtime every Wednesday starting at 12:00pm (at Noon) and “JAPANEMA”, which is our monthly evening screening series, occasionally followed by lectures.
Address: 5700 Wilshire Blvd, #100, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Metered Street Parking is available. http://www.jflalc.org/about-us.html#parking
Free to attend. No reservation required.
All movies are in Japanese with English subtitles.
5/22/2013 "Leonie"（レオニー）
(102 MIN/2010)
In the lush tradition of the glorious films of Merchant and Ivory, comes the true life story of Leonie Gilmour (Emily Mortimer), whose life crossed continents, wars and cultures, embodied with courage and passion in search of art and freedom. As an independent young woman seeking to overcome the restrictive female roles in turn -- of -- the century America, she is retained by the famous Japanese poet, Yone Noguchi (Shido Nakamura), as his editor. Their relationship evolves romantically, however Yone abruptly leaves when she shares with him that she is pregnant. Following him to Japan, she is cast alone to raise their son in a society with few opportunities for women. A tender and inspiring story of a remarkable woman who nurtures the amazing artistic talent of their son who has only one way to succeed and one person to guide him, as he grows into the world renown artist, Isamu Noguchi.
5/29/2013 "Successional Tradition of Noh"（能楽師 伝承）
(94 MIN/2010)
(94 MIN/2010)
How is the Noh tradition kept alive? This film features Yoshito Sekine, a Noh performer of the Kanze school, and captures his rehearsals with his father Shoroku and his son Yoshimaru while showing stage performances of "Shari," "Dojoji," and "Matsukaze." In the spring of 2009, Yoshito (48) makes his son Yoshimaru (16) practice dances from a famous Noh play called Shakkyo, and Shoroku (78) is a harsh teacher. One summer evening, Yoshito has dinner with actor Shiro Sano and folklorist Hideki Tanaka, and they discuss Yoshito’s seventh performance of Dojoji one month earlier. “Why am I an actor? What is an actor?” Shiro asks himself. “Originally, all acting was to be dedicated to the gods.” Yoshito speaks of his deep emotional attachment to his performance. The encounter between a young actor visiting Dojoji temple and an older one on a pilgrimage to Kumano Sanzan is fictional, slipped into the documentary to blend into the mystery of Kumano.