Screen Asia: Japan CineFest
VIEW EVENT DETAILSIn Collaboration with MarCreation
In partnership with MarCreation, Asia Society Texas Center hosts this annual event highlighting some of the most exciting new voices in cinema, featuring works by emerging Japanese and Japanese American filmmakers.
Schedule
7:00 | Short film screenings
8:30 | Q&A with Steve Murashige, director of Venom Therapy
Short Films
Take 8 An independent filmmaker, Takao, is directing a film about a wedding starring his girlfriend, Akane. The film production is coming to a close, with one important scene left to shoot. The actor who was to play the father-of-the-bride is unable to make the shoot. No choice remains but to let Akane’s real father, Toru, play the role. But Toru wouldn’t give the bride and groom his blessing, in the movie and real life. |
Tokyo Cosmo A woman lives alone in Tokyo harboring feelings of loneliness. Her stuffed pig creates a world of imagination to cheer her up. Special thanks to New Directors Film Festival. |
Matcha: An Ippodo Story In Matcha: An Ippodo Story, director Michael McAteer transports viewers to Kyoto, Japan for an intimate matcha experience. |
Fox Fears On the evening of a village festival, a young boy named Bunroku goes to the festival with his friends and visits a clog shop. There he learns an old superstition about the fox. Special thanks to Aichi International Women’s Film Festival. |
Fall Seven Times, Get Up Eight: The Japanese War Brides Atsuko, Emiko, and Hiroko were among tens of thousands of Japanese women who married their former enemies after World War II, and landed in 1950s America knowing no one, speaking little English and often moving in with stunned in-laws. Their recollections are further refracted through the eyes of their Japanese-American daughters. Personal photographs and visuals from U.S archival sources help bring to life this fascinating episode in U.S history. (Producer: Megumi Nishikura) |
Venom Therapy A family struggles with the debilitating effects of Multiple Sclerosis as it affects a young wife and mother. After hearing of a miraculous healing treatment for MS sufferers, they begin administering multiple bee stings on a daily basis—totaling over 3,000 in one year. The story chronicles the family’s journey with the treatment and unexpected results. |
About the Director, Steven Murashiger
Steven Murashige is an award-winning director of commercials, music videos, and film. Of Japanese ancestry, he was born in Los Angeles where he has resided all but one year of his life, spent in Paris, France, learning the French language, and soaking up its bounty of art and culture. That year in Paris came upon the heels of receiving his Bachelor of Arts from The Art Center College of Design, where he studied illustration, painting, and graphic design.
Upon returning from France, Steven worked as a print graphic designer before being introduced to the world of motion graphics. In his spare time, he learned and created projects in After Effects that ultimately won him the position of motion graphics designer at a post-production facility in Hollywood. There, he also learned the Avid and became a staff editor as well as creative director of the motion graphics division. Constantly meeting and working with an abundance of entertainment professionals, he caught the eye of a music video production company who offered him a place on their roster as a director. Steven soon directed his first music video, which would become the first mega-hit video for the band, Incubus. From the music video world, he bursts onto the commercial scene where his distinct graphic style earned him a slew of Target spots at the height of their imaginative creativity, spawning his commercial career. From his experience in commercials and music videos, his passion for the purity of narrative storytelling and the art of directing actors took flame. It’s the age-old idea of “the bard,” “the storyteller,” who passes history and lore to the coming generations that Steven believes is not only important, but essential to humanity.
Bank of America is presenting sponsor of Performing Arts & Culture programs. Generous funding also provided by AARP, Nancy C. Allen, CNOOC-NEXEN, the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, The Clayton Fund, the Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, and Mickey Rosenau & Dr. Ellen Gritz. Funding is also provided from Friends of Performing Arts & Culture at Asia Society Texas Center, a premier group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing the best in public programming to Houston. The Japan Series at Asia Society Texas Center is supported by Kuraray. This program is presented in collaboration with MarCreation and New York Japan Cinefest.
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Event Details
Asia Society Texas Center 1370 Southmore Blvd Houston, TX 77004