Immerse Yourself in Japanese Culture Through Cinema

Pac Arts and Mingei International Museum are proud to announce a special collaboration this summer! Immerse yourself in Japanese culture this summer by spending select Friday evenings at the Mingei of Japan exhibition, featuring Japanese arts of daily life.The arts of everyday of life are also the props of film art. They catch our eyes, they stir emotion, they mesmerize and hold secrets. The objects of Japanese cinema give life to stories as much as they fill out the mise-en-scene, and in this collection of films from throughout Japanese film history, they are as memorable as the plots and characters.All films take place at Mingei International Museum (1439 El Prado, San Diego, CA, 92101), and screenings are free with admission to the museum ($10 adults, $7 seniors/youth/students/military). Admission to the museum is free for Pac Arts members during screening times only.All screenings begin at 6 p.m. and are preceded at 5 p.m. by a special live program curated by Mingei.For more information, see Mingei International Museum.Friday, July 15thEQUINOX FLOWER (Yasujiro Ozu, 1958, 118 min.)A red teapot sits on the tatami, as do the parents and the children they want to see married off. Ozu’s first color film is a marvel, and the teapot, as empty as it is emblematic, has come to represent the master director’s approach to observation and domestic life.-Preceded at 5 p.m. by an exclusive walkthrough of the Mingei of Japan Exhibition led by Mingei director Rob SidnerFriday, July 22ndSTILL WALKING (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2008, 114 min.)A vinyl record plays a song called “Still Walking,” an apt description for this richly observational look at a family’s annual reunion to mourn a lost son.-Preceded at 5 p.m. by a live Ikebana demonstration presented by Hiroko Fukuhara from Ikebana International San DiegoFriday, July 29thTHE MAKIOKA SISTERS (Kon Ichikawa, 1983, 140 min.)A kimono represents the past, not just as cultural tradition, but as the product of a family business that holds four sisters together after their parents pass.-Preceded at 5 p.m. by a Kimono dressing and wrapping demonstration presented by Yuko Niwa and members of the San Diego Kimono ClubFriday, August 12thGIANTS AND TOYS (Yasuzo Masumura, 1958, 95 min.)A lighter, flicked and fired up with the kick of a gunshot, punctuates this Tashlin-esque tale of competing ad agencies outsmarting and out-sacrficing each other and leaving pin-ups and mad men in the dust.-Preceded at 5 p.m. by a Kyudo ceremony, highlighting the Japanese way of the bowFriday, August 19thORNAMENTAL HAIRPIN (Hiroshi Shimizu, 1941, 71 min.)A woman’s hairpin, lost in a vacation villa and discovered by a young soldier, quietly incites hearts in this romance tucked away from war.-Preceded at 5 p.m. by poetry readings and an Aikikai demonstration accompanied by a Koto performance