“Home.” “Place.” “Safe-haven.” “Refuge.” To us, the idea of identifying a place where we belong can take many forms — a favorite store or hangout, an influential friend or family member, even a past memory that elicits strong emotions.
As part of the Little Tokyo Service Center +LAB’s arts takeover of 341 FSN, formerly known as the Matsumura Giftshop, along historic First Street North, Visual Communications presents a short program of digital motion pictures that celebrates and interrogates the power of “place” as a home, refuge, and a holder of memories.
Created by fellows of the innovative Digital Histories seniors’ mediamaking workshop and administered by Visual Communications, the program “Home is in the Heart” will move past simple nostalgia to instill a sense of value to places and memories that are important to us all and, in some cases, are at risk for erasure from our communities and collective memories.
There will be screenings at 1:30PM and 4:00PM, along with a reception at 2:30PM.
Many of the directors of the films are expected to attend.
Join us for a fun-filled and inspiring afternoon of food, films, and friends!
FREE EVENT*, but RSVPs are recommended due to limited capacity.
Please RSVP by Friday, Aug 10.
(RSVPs for 1:30PM have reached capacity. Please come to our 4:00PM show!)
*$10 suggested donation at the door. Proceeds will benefit Digital Histories.
With a demanding schedule and mounting stresses, 22-year old Casey struggles to balance responsibilities while finding joy. Reflecting on her childhood memories, she discovers that happiness is a choice and it’s the simple things that keep her grounded. This film is a reminder to never lose your inner child.
Forced Removal! Evictions! Evictions! Reminiscent of the past, artists are being forced to move, “relocate,” after years of living and working in one of the first designated Artists-in-Residence buildings in Los Angeles. The new owners, a subsidiary of an international bank, of the Joannes Building, began the evictions immediately.
Late in life, a man is inspired by the annual Nisei Week Festival to reconnect with his roots by learning various forms of Japanese dance. He finds a legendary choreographer to teach him the classical Japanese style. And he discovers Elvis impersonators who teach him alternate forms of Japanese-American dance.
With roots in El Pueblo, Los Angeles’ beginnings, Bill Shishima was incarcerated in Heart Mountain, WY before becoming a boy scout and raising the daily flag. His upbringing and camp experiences led him to become a leader in the Japanese American community as a president, teacher, docent, tour guide, and quintessential volunteer.