SOLD OUT!
Japan Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan
1150 18th St. NW
France & Japan
Brief discussions following each evening’s screenings will compare and contrast the films and the topics with several panelists.
Dr. Michele M. Mason - Director, Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) & Associate Professor, Japanese Cultural Studies at University of Maryland, College Park
Dr. Scott Powers - Associate Professor of French at the University of Mary Washington
All films are subtitled in English, unless otherwise noted.
Aissa
France, 2014, 8 min.
Director: Clément Tréhin-Lalanne
Aissa is Congolese and is presently residing illegally on French territory. Although she claims to be a minor, the authorities believe she is over 18. In order to establish whether or not she can remain in the country, a doctor must give her a physical examination.
The Thing about the Morning After
France, 2016, 9 min.
Director: Denise V. Powers
The morning after a first night spent together reveals some disconcerting surprises for Matthieu and Sophie. Accusations fly and expectations collapse as old wounds are reopened and a vision of a more complicated future presents itself. Who will emerge the wiser from this difficult conversation?
Flying Phosphorus and
Shooting Stars
Japan, 2015, 15 min.
Director: Akiko Okumura
The film is made up of short scenes based on strange, even fantastical, events experienced by people I know. Some of these are verbally recounted, others re-enacted. The narrative begins with an interview with a 72-year-old Japanese lady who, as a child, used to spend every day watching the will’o’the wisp forming in her home village. She says the will’o’the wisp has stopped appearing in the village, and that the folklore has disappeared along with it.
Oh Lucy!
Japan, 2014, 21 min.
Director: Atsuko Hirayanagi
Setsuko, a 55-year-old single 'office lady' in Tokyo, is given a blonde wig and a new identity, “Lucy,” by her young unconventional English instructor. “Lucy” awakens desires Setsuko never knew she had. When the instructor suddenly disappears, Setsuko must come to terms with what remains – herself.
