Sneak preview screening followed by a Q&A session with director Yukihiko Tsutsumi and producer Koko Maeda

MY HOUSE
Japan 2011 93 minutes
Directed by: Yukihiko Tsutsumi
Written by: Norihiko Tsukuda, based on an original story by Kyohei Sakaguchi
Produced by: Koko Maeda, Yasuyuki Jin
Starring: Takao Ito, Eri Ishida, Kan Murata, Itsuji Itao, Tae Kimura

Film courtesy of Office Crescendo

In Japanese with English subtitles

Although the government insists there are fewer than 20,000 Japanese "sleeping rough" around the nation, Japan's homeless numbers swelled after the Lehman Shock and may have grown further after March 11. Documentaries on their plight are rife, but fiction films rarely reflect the reality of their presence. "My House" sets out to rectify that, treating the homeless with a dignity and depth that has been all too rare, pulling the plastic sheet back on their lives, inviting us not only to celebrate their resilience and resourcefulness, but to view ourselves through their eyes.

Director Yukihiro Tsutsumi shot his first film on homelessness in 1991, aptly titled "Homeless" and featuring Yoko Ono. Inspired by the architect-author of the bestselling "Living on Zero Yen in a Zero Yen House," he returned to his hometown, Nagoya, 10 years later and shot this new film with a skeleton crew and a cast filled with Nagoya-based artists and actors, including the folk singer Takao Ito and screenwriter Norihiko Tsukuda. Tsutsumi eschewed the big-screen bells and whistles of his commercial blockbusters, opting for beautiful black-and-white cinematography and a documentary approach.

In a corner of a park is the innovative "house" designed by Suzumoto-san (Ito) and his partner Sumi-chan (Ishida). When the police warn them each month that they must get out, they disassemble their house and move on. The couple live on almost nothing, earning just enough cash by collecting aluminum cans, and powering their electric appliances with discarded car batteries. Their lives are humble but quite comfortable until one day, when their world collides with the world of wealthy Jr. high school student Shota (Murata). Could something like this really happen ? It already has.

Please join the Movie Committee for this sneak preview screening before "My House" opens nationwide on May 26.

For more on the film, see: http://myhouse-movie.com/

Yukihiko Tsutsumi began his career directing commercials and promotional videos for TV, then garnered attention for TV dramas such as "Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo" ("Kindaichi Case Files"), "Ikebukuro West Gate Park" and "Trick," as well as directing theater. He moved into film with big-screen versions of "Trick" in 2002 and 2006, and the popular manga "20th Century Boys" in 2008 and 2009. His other hits include "Memories of Tomorrow" ("Ashita no Kioku," 2006), "Beck" (2010), "Hayabusa" (2011) and the new megahit "SPEC: The Movie."

Producer Koko Maeda is a veteran casting director and producer, with such international coproduction credits as Quentin Tarantino’s "Kill Bill," Wong Kar-wai's “2046" and Chao-Bin Su's “Silk." She was a producer on Shunji Iwai's "Swallowtail Butterfly," "All About Lily Chou Chou," and "Hana and Alice," as well as on Yuki Tanada's "One Million Yen Girl." Her latest production, "Paikaji Southern Sea Operation," opens this year.

Please make your reservations at the FCCJ Reception Desk (3211-3161) or online at fccj.or.jp/node7371. All movie screenings are private, noncommercial events restricted to FCCJ members and their guests.
Karen Severns, Edwin Karmiol, Movie Committee