J-Sei At the Movies: Watch Party with Japanese Filmmaker Hideyuki Tokigawa
Friday, June 10, 2022 – 6:30 pm on Zoom
J-Sei is honored and thrilled to welcome Japanese indie filmmaker Hideyuki Tokigawa and to livestream one of his films. He founded his production company, TimeRiver Pictures, in 2009 to make independent films, all of which are affectionately set in his birthplace of Hiroshima and center on actual places and events.
Director Tokigawa will join us on Zoom from Japan to talk about his 2018 feature comedy-drama, HIROSHIMA CARP THEATER, which we will livestream. We’ll follow the virtual screening with a discussion and Q&A. Do not miss this unique opportunity to see this indie gem, a cinematic love letter to Hiroshima, and the artist who made it!
RSVP with “June Movie Night” in the subject line.
We’ll send Zoom information prior to the June 10 event.
Hiroshima Carp Theater (2018) starring Yoshimi Tokui and Honoka Yahagi
Aimi’s grandfather operates a historic movie theater in Hiroshima. The day before its final closure, a mysterious man named Tokuzawa appears. He tells a tale of Hiroshima’s past – of a baseball team, the Carp, and of their rise during the 1950s from the ashes of wartime; of how they were penniless, but with the support of their dedicated citizens they not only survived, but thrived. Through his tales of the past, the mysterious storyteller helps Aimi and her grandfather devise a plan to try and resurrect their movie theater, while at the same time the modern-day Hiroshima Carp team is enjoying renewed success in the Japanese baseball league.
See the trailer on Vimeo.
About the Filmmaker
Japanese filmmaker Hideyuki Tokigawa began his career in Singapore working for Discovery Channel Asia as a producer/director. In 2001 he moved back to Tokyo to work at Walt Disney Television International, where he led the TV Production Unit as Senior Producer. He studied filmmaking at Vancouver Film School and continued to hone his craft under the guidance of acclaimed Japanese director Shunji Iwai, with whom he worked on the 2002 FIFA World Cup feature documentary. In 2009 Hideyuki founded TimeRiver Pictures to independently create feature documentaries, television commercials, music videos, and short films. He made his feature directorial debut in 2012 with RADIO LOVE, which received the Audience Choice Award at Cinema Verde and was distributed nationwide in Japan. In 2014 he wrote and directed CINEMA ANGEL, about the closing of a real-life movie theater that had existed for over 100 years; it won Best Director and Best Feature Film at the Montelupo Fiorentino Film Festival. In 2018, Hideyuki’s next project, HIROSHIMA CARP THEATER, a unique human drama related to baseball culture and the city of Hiroshima, screened at the Hiroshima International Film Festival and the Oniros Film Awards, where it received the Hiroshima Peace Award and the Best Feature Film Award, respectively. His most recent film is 2020’s DANCING IN HER DREAMS, based on the life of a strip club owner in Hiroshima, which enjoyed a successful festival run and was honored with a Jury Award at the Madrid International Film Festival.
J-Sei Movie Night Bento
June 10 Bento
For movie night, you can order specially made obento from My Friend Yuji for pickup on Friday, June 10 in conjunction with Movie Night. Stay tuned for Chef Yuji’s mouth-watering offerings.
- Menu tbd
Once the menu is announced, you can click on the button below to place your order.
Pick up your meal at the selected pick-up time at J-Sei on Friday, June 10th. Please remember to wear a mask and observe social distance protocol. Thank you!
To order: When you click on the button above, it will take you directly to a pop-up order form on the My Friend Yuji webpage, where you first select a pickup time. In the next window, click anywhere inside the box frame to open another pop-up and select the number of bento you want to order, then click on “Add item” to close the pop-up. Click the “View order” bar at the bottom to confirm your order and click “Continue to payment” to sign in and pay for your order.
Support J-Sei At the Movies
Thanks to you, J-Sei At the Movies recently celebrated its third anniversary! We look forward to more creative programming with educational and inspiring Japanese and Japanese American films. We are especially grateful for the up close and personal chats with filmmakers as we learn so much from the exchange.
We love having a growing and enthusiastic audience. You are the best! We welcome any donations to help us offset costs for Movie Night. Thanks for considering this.