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SFA to Show Award-winning Documentary
Sylvia Bierschenk - May 6, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - The Friends of the Visual Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University will host a screening of "The Cats of Mirikitani," an award-winning documentary about an Asian-American artist, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 16, at The Art Center @ The Old Opera House, 329 E. Main St. in downtown Nacogdoches.
Winner of the Audience Award at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival, Linda Hattendorf's film began as a portrait of one elderly homeless artist on the streets of New York City. In the wake of Sept. 11, however, the filmmaker invited Jimmy Mirikitani into her home and learned much more about the history behind his art.
Born in Sacramento in 1920 and raised in Hiroshima, Mirikitani returned to the United States as a teenager with dreams of becoming an artist. After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, he was placed in an internment camp and eventually lost his U.S. citizenship and his opportunities to formally pursue his artistic dreams.
"As Hattendorf encourages Mirikitani to revisit his tragic past, she also helps him to integrate back into the society against which he has waged mental war most of his life," wrote Bilge Eberi of "New York Magazine." "The result is a profoundly gripping film, with a cumulative impact that may well wipe you out."
Described as "a fascinating story of injustice and endurance" by "The New York Times," the 74-minute film received awards in film festivals throughout the world, including those in Vancouver, British Columbia; Tokyo, Japan; Tromso, Norway; Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Palm Springs, Calif.; Durango, Colo.; and Sedona, Ariz. Visit www.thecatsofmirikitani.com for more information about the film.
The Nacogdoches screening is held in conjunction with a current exhibition at The Art Center, "Roger Shimomura: An American Foreigner." Shimomura's artwork addresses sociopolitical issues of Asian America, and he served as an advisor for the film. He also curated two of Mirikitani's exhibitions in 2006.
"We feel the synthesis of Shimomura's exhibition with the film will be very dramatic," said Marty Prince, president of the SFA Friends of the Visual Arts. "We encourage all to attend."
The screening is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts, School of Art and Friends of the Visual Arts. Admission is free.