Monday, April 4, 4:00pm
Student Union Movie Theater, UNC Charlotte Main Campus
Peace
Director Kazuhiro Soda
Interview with Director Soda conducted by Dr. Ogawa
Japan, USA, South Korea 2010, 75 min
In Japanese with English subtitles
Introduction by Shota T. Ogawa, Assistant Professor of Japan, UNC Charlotte, and preceded by a lecture by Kazuhiro Soda. Discussion will follow screening.
What is peace? What is coexistence? And what are the bases for them? PEACE is a visual-essay-like observational documentary, which contemplates these questions by observing the daily lives of people and cats in Okayama city, Japan. Three people and stray cats are the main characters. Toshio runs an affordable taxi service for the disabled and the elderly and feeds a group of stray cats everyday. There is a growing tension in the cats’ peaceful community because a male “thief cat,” an outsider, is trying to invade it. Toshio’s wife, Hiroko regularly visits 91-year-old Shiro to help his daily routines. One day his memories of being drafted to World War II come back to him.
Reviews:
“The film reveals the sublime through the mundane…” – Best Documentary Award – Jury’s Comment, Hong Kong International Film Festival
“PEACE proves newly relevant in the wake of the Honshu earthquake and subsequent tsunami…” – Ronnie Scheib, Variety
Social Media Links: PEACE on YouTube