Washington DC Sakura Matsuri-related screenings

[Lori Morimoto]

The annual Sakura Matsuri in Washington DC has really become a big 
event, and this year there are a few film/anime related events taking 
place (in addition to the fabulous Naruse retrospective). The press 
releases are as follows:

   1. In honor of cherry blossom season, the Japanese Embassy presents
      ANIME BLOSSOM!, an all-new event showcasing the energy and
      excitement of modern Japanese youth culture. ANIME BLOSSOM!
      coincides with Opening Day of the National Cherry Blossom
      Festival?. It will be held on March 25th, from 10:00am to 5:30pm
      at the National Building Museum. ANIME BLOSSOM! will feature
      screenings of popular Japanese animated films (anime), displays of
      best-seller Japanese comics (manga), and participatory Dance Dance
      Revolution (DDR), a music video game that shows you how to get
      your groove on. From comedy to adventure to sci-fi to romance, the
      Embassy will screen anime demonstrating the depth and breadth of
      the medium. Titles include Eureka Seven, the #1 show in Japan, and
      Viewtiful Joe, a sci-fi adventure that draws inspiration from
      classic anime of the 1970s. Of the manga on display, Naruto and
      InuYasha, popularized by their respective television series, are
      of particular interest. There is considerable cross-over between
      the genres of anime, manga, and video games, but manga allow rich
      plot and character development as well as innovative and intricate
      artwork; these series are prime examples. The Embassy of Japan is
      also proud to present similar content in cooperation with the
      Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C. during the Japanese
      Street Festival (?Sakura Matsuri?) on April 8th from 11:00am to
      6:00pm at the intersection of 12th Street and Pennsylvania Ave, N.W.
   2. */The Water Magician/, 1933
      *March 30, 2006 at 8 pm. Hiroshi Sugimoto will perform as
      /benshi/, narrating the beginning and epilogue of Kenji
      Mizoguchi's masterwork of early Japanese cinema. The silent film
      will also be accompanied by shamisen music performed by Kenta
      Nagai. A discussion follows the performance. This film is part of
      Hirshhorn After Hours. Film courtesy of the collection of the
      National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. At the Hirschorn Museum.

If anyone is in town, there are a variety of Japan-related events 
throughout the end of the month.

Lori Hitchcock Morimoto