Event

Film showing: The Grandpa from Brazil

Sunday, February 12th, 2012, 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Speaker: Nanako Kurihara (film director/producer)

The film "The Grandpa from Brazil" documents the life of Mr. Kenichi Konno, who emigrated to Brazil at the age of 19 in 1931. Konno went abroad in search of a decent job, and he vowed to return after achieving success. He worked very hard for decades, and 60 years after leaving Japan he began making annual trips back to Japan staying for a month at a time in order to check on Japanese-Brazilians who had emigrated in the opposite direction. Konno had been very concerned about the many difficulties that these Japanese-Brazilians face in Japan. He made these trips over a period of 15 years, and he helped many people in the process.

This 60-minute film follows this extraordinary yet ordinary man as he retraces his journey through the streets of Tokyo and Kansai, recounting his life in Brazil, and discovering more about the actual situation of Japanese Brazilians. This heartfelt documentary explores issues of migration, ethnicity, family, and global citizenship. After the film there will be time to meet and ask questions to the filmmaker, Nanako Kurihara. English subtitles will be provided.

Nanako Kurihara is a graduate of Waseda University and an award-winning Japanese producer/director. Her first film made in 1993, was "Ripples of Change" (also titled "Looking for Fumiko") which is about the Japanese women's movement in the 1970s. It has been shown internationally and has been broadcast in the United States and Australia. Kurihara holds a PhD in Performance Studies from New York University.

This event is co-sponsored by SIETAR Kansai. For more details about Mr. Konno, please see this 2008 article

Organization: Osaka Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (Osaka JALT)

Cost: JALT Members: 500 yen for JALT & SIETAR members, and students
Non-members: 1,000 yen

Venue: Takatsuki Shiritsu Sogo Shimin Koryu Center, 5th floor

Location: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan

Contact Osaka JALT

Bob Sanderson