For the globally conscious media junkie, there are a few film festivals coming to Tokyo that you should mark down on your calender.
1. The UNHCR Refugee Film Festival- June 2008 (The website is down at the moment...)
This will be the third year that the UNHCR Refugee film festival will be held in Tokyo. Not only do they showcase great films related to refugee issues around the world, the film festival is entirely free to the public! And on top of that a documentary film I worked on in LA (and that I have blogged about recently) Refusenik has been accepted to be screened. The date of the screening is yet TBD, but I'll be sure to update you on this. So at the very least, don't miss out on this one!
2. Tokyo Peace Film Festival- July 18-20th. This year the TPFF will be screening films such ash Iraq for Sale, American vs. Jon Lennon, and
3. Artivist Film Festival- November 14-16, 2008
I first came across the Artivist film festival while I was in Los Angeles. The word Artivist came from the merging of Art + Activist, and thus their mission is to "strengthen the voice of the activist artists - 'Artivists' - while raising public awareness for social global causes." This film festival showcases stories on human rights, children's advocacy, environmental preservation and animal rights. My short film Peace Begins with Me and You was screened at their 2006 film festival at the Egyptian theater in Hollywood. I am currently submitting films to the Tokyo debut of this film festival, so wish me luck!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Tokyo: Upcoming film festivals
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Tokyo: Injured Soldiers Exhibit
This afternoon I took the train to Ebisu to visit the "Injured Soldiers" exhibition at the MA2Gallery. Photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, usually known to photograph celebrities and porn stars, powerfully captured the images of 13 wounded Iraq veterans. This photo exhibit is part of larger documentary for HBO called Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq which examines that lives of the newest generation of veterans.
Hung on the stark white walls of the two-story MA2Gallery, the photographs were accompanied by a booklet describing the personal stories of the veterans. Most of them were in their 20s, younger than me, yet by the expressions upon their face I would have assumed they were at least in their 30s. The photographs are simple portraits with all of the subjects looking directly at the camera. Some seemed proud of their battle wounds, others have seemed to have found new meaning in their life, and others seem lost and defeated. As best put by HBO, these photographs/film "puts a face to some of the many soldiers and Marines who've come back in record numbers suffering from severe injuries and trauma, and who, in many ways, have been hidden from the public's view."
The exhibit will continue until the 30th of April. Once exiting the East exit of Ebisu station, continue straight along the main street on the map provided by the gallery (unlike me who took a 15 minute detour...) and you will eventually get there. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday form 12-7pm.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Images from Article 9 Peace Bike ride.
Despite the continuous torrential down pour on the days leading up to the bike ride, April 19th turned to be a pretty mild day- good enough for bike ride from Shibuya to Yoyogi park in the name of Article 9. The bikers sang songs of peace, handed out fliers and invited passersby to join the Global Article 9 conference.
Here are some video-captured stills from the Article 9 Peace bike ride:
Getting ready for their bike ride at Shibuya station.
Levi, Rob and Taka are decorating their wheels with a custom made heiwa 9 (peace) decorations.
They begin to walk/ride through the streets of Shibuya.
Shirine and Rob pass out the Global Article 9 conference flyers to pedestrians.
Jen, Levi and Jamie bike towards the Earth Day Festival at Yoyogi Park.
Next Article 9 event is :
Salsa to the Beat of 9
April 26th, 7pm-11pm
Cuban Cafe, 〒104-0045 東京都中央区築地5-6 10浜離宮パークサイドプレイス１F
http://www.geocities.co.jp
Contact: Jennifer at jteeter
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Rotary International Peace Park and Hiroshima film
On April 17 and 18th, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the University of South Carolina Upstate and Rotary International will be inaugurating the Upstate Rotary International Peace Park. Kola Badejo, the senior adviser on Africa in the United Nations Global Compact Office, will be the keynote speaker at a Peace Symposium as well as two Rotary World Peace Fellow alumni Carla Fantini and Jenny Favinger. My documentary film on Hiroshima will be screened on the 18th. To find more about this event click here.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Tokyo: Countdown to the Global Article 9 Conference
We are a few weeks away from the Global Article 9 conference (May 4-6). In the lead up to it, many activities are taking place in Tokyo and the surrounding areas.
On Saturday April 19th, Peace Boat is organizing a peace bike ride for Article 9. The bike ride begins at 11am at Hachiko exit at Shibuya and participants will ride to the Earth Day festivities at Yoyogi Park.
| Event: | Peace Bike Ride for A9 |
| Tagline: | "Join us for a day of cycling to support A9, the peace constitution" |
| Host: | Peace Boat |
| Date: | Saturday, April 19, 2008 |
| Time: | 11:00am - 2:00pm |
| Location: | Shibuya, Tokyo |
| Street: | Hachiko exit, Shibuya eki |
| City/Town: | Tokyo, Japan |
Peace Walk for Article 9
Also, since the end of February, several hardcore peace activists have been walking from Hiroshima towards Tokyo, aiming to arrive on the first day of the conference. You can read up more about them and their Peace Walk here. I am hoping to join them at some point and film some of their activities as well, all pending on the progress of my thesis.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Refusenik film: Trailer
Please click on the image below to watch the trailer for the documentary film Refusenik:
Friday, April 04, 2008
Refusenik film: Theater Release!
Hello~!
I am happy to announce a documentary film that I worked on back when I was living in LA will have a theatrical release. Please go to it if you can, not only for my sake, but because it is an inspiring story of a grassroots movement that spanned 30 years and which ultimately lead to the human rights victory and freedom of 2 million Soviet Jews.
To find more about the film, visit:
http://www.refusenikmovie.com/
and forward this information on!
love,
Megumi
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