And The Academy Award Goes To…

As Hollywood rolls out the red carpet for Oscar Sunday, we here at CAAM know exactly which film we're rooting for: Academy Award Nominee for Best Short Doc, THE TSUNAMI AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM, which makes its Bay Area Premiere at SFIAAFF30. The first screening of this documentary will be part of our FESTIVAL FORUM, our largest event, bringing a FREE showcase of artists, performers and media makers to SF’s historic Japantown Peace Plaza. This year’s event commemmorates the one-year anniversary of the March 11 Japanese tsunami and earthquake.

Are you ready for the Oscars (this Sunday, February 26)? For the entertainment industry and movie fanatics everywhere, Oscar Weekend is the weekend to look forward to in February. Here at CAAM, we know exactly what film we’re rooting for in the Best Documentary Short category: The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, which makes its Bay Area premiere at SFIAAFF30. As we cheer the acknowledgment of this short documentary, we screen this film to pay remembrance to the victims and survivors of last year’s catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in Japan, on which this stirring documentary focuses.

The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom examines the duality of Mother Nature—at her most cataclysmic and at her most precious. The film boasts a winning creative team, with director Lucy Walker, cinematographer Aaron Phillips, and composer Moby. More compelling, however, are the first-hand accounts delivered from the people who lived through the disaster. The heart of the film is a genuine showcase of emotion and bravery and a somber yet hopeful celebration of the human spirit through unimaginable hardship.

The first screening of this documentary at SFIAAFF30 will be part of our FESTIVAL FORUM, our largest event, bringing a unique showcase of artists, performers and media makers to San Francisco’s historic Japantown Peace Plaza! This year’s event will feature commemorative programs to mark the one-year anniversary of the March 11 Japanese tsunami and earthquake, in the hopes of continuing to raise awareness of ongoing rebuilding efforts.

Read below for more details!

 

 

 

FREE OUTDOOR PERFORMANCES:
12:00 PM JAPANTOWN CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL PREVIEW
2:00 PM BAIYU
2:30 PM YOUTH SPEAKS
3:00 PM DREAMDATE
3:30 PM PAPERDOLL
4:00 PM NON STOP BHANGRA

SAN FRANCISCO FILM SOCIETY CINEMA FILM SCREENING
12:00 PM THE TSUNAMI AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM
$12 General Admission
$11 Students/Seniors (65+)/Disabled
$10 CAAM Members
Buy Tickets »

DETAILS:

JAPANTOWN CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL PREVIEW
At Festival Forum, join us for a preview of the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival (April 14-15 and April 21-22, 2012) featuring traditional Japanese dance and music, a showcase of this year’s Cherry Blossom Queen contestants, and more!

BAIYU is a Chinese-American singer-songwriter and actress and international pop culture icon. She has been featured in Celebuzz, GlobalGrind, TheSource, MTVIggy, SoulTrain.com, and various other blogs and magazines. In 2011 Baiyu donated all profits from her EP, “Fan Fair” towards Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief.

YOUTH SPEAKS creates safe spaces to empower the next generation of leaders, self-defined artists, and visionary activists through written and oral literacies. Youth Speaks challenges youth to find, develop, publicly present, and apply their voices as creators of social change.

DREAMDATE a female indie pop three-piece (from Oakland!) featuring Yea-Ming Chen, Anna Hillburg, and Sonia Hayden, kindles daydreams and crushes with their sweet, lo-fi tunes reminiscent of early 90’s garage movements.

PAPERDOLL (NYC) delivers good old fashioned dance-till-you-drop music to the international dance-rock scene. This energetic four-piece has rocked crowds from Shanghai to New York with an uninhibitedly raw live show and has opened up for OhLand, Mos Def, and Joan Jett. Their music can be heard in Quentin Lee’s “White Frog,” the opening night film for SFIAAFF30. PaperDoll is Teresa Lee (vocals/keyboard),Patrick Moloney (guitar), Jack Koch (bass), Will Haywood Smith (drums).

NON STOP BHANGRA is a unique experience that celebrates the beautiful and vibrant spirit of Bhangra, a traditional Punjabi folk music and dance. Non Stop Bhangra was founded in 2004 when Dj Jimmy Love teamed up with Dholrhythms founders Vicki Virk & Suman Raj, with the goal of bringing Bhangra to a wider audience. Since then, Non Stop Bhangra has made this traditional style a serious dance floor craze in San Francisco, drawing Bay Area’s most diverse crowds to join in the frenzy.

FOR PHOTOS AND MORE DETAILED ARTISTS BIOS, CLICK HERE.

RELATED LINKS:

Read a review of The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom by Karen Datangel (our Publicity intern!):
http://karen-on.com/2012/02/14/the-tsunami-and-the-cherry-blossom-film-review/

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