Join us for the following films at this year’s CAAMFest, co-presented by the Japan Society of Northern California:

Kampai: For the Love of Sake
Directed by Mirai Konishi
Japan / 2015 / 95 mins / English, Japanese with English subtitles / San Francisco Premiere
Saturday, March 19 | 7:30 pm @ New People, San Francisco
 
Sake, known as “the drink of the gods,” has influenced culture in Japan and across the world for many generations.
A British sake brewer, an American journalist and a young president of a century-old sake brewery in Japan come together to explore the mysterious world of the traditional rice wine in KAMPAI! FOR THE LOVE OF SAKE.
The film illustrates how these unique individuals, who have been fascinated with this extraordinary Japanese beverage, encounter the challenges of the current sake industry. The trio traces the origins of sake as they investigate its rich, complex and spectacular history. More info
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Organizers

Center for Asian American Media

The Name of the Whale
Directed by Fujikawa Fumito 
Japan / 2015 / 91 mins / Japanese with English subtitles / San Francisco Premiere
Thursday, March 17 | 6:20 pm @ Alamo Drafthouse, San Francisco
Sunday, March 20 | 5:00 pm @ New People, San Francisco
 
Director Fujikawa Fumito makes his second directorial feature with the genre-defying film THE NAME OF THE WHALE, which takes audiences through a pre-coming-of-age story that pulls from Fujikawa’s own childhood recollections of his two-year stay in the rural Japanese village of Miyoshi.
This “drama-mentary” blends drama and documentary footage to tell the story of junior high student Yuta, whose love for whales and paleontology inspires him to dig for cetacean fossils along the Miyoshi shoreline as a summer project. The contentment this assignment brings him is abruptly shattered when pieces of his everyday life begin to fall apart — his grandmother passes away; his mother’s new partner moves in; and his close friend moves away. Yuta suddenly is faced with finding the balance between his old and new worlds.
THE NAME OF THE WHALE offers a rare glimpse into life in a rural Japanese fishing village. It weaves fact and fiction and is beautifully brought to life by a non-professional cast. The film transcends both genre and culture, making for a uniquely gratifying viewing experience. More info
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Organizers

Center for Asian American Media