The Cats of Mirikitani
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Linda Hattendorf
Jimmy Mirikitani
Ed Benedetto
Dawn Bergen
Deirdre Boyle
Ming Cheung
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
A portrait of an octogenarian outsider artist, Jimmy Mirikitani. Born in 1920 in Sacramento, California, Mirikitani grew up in Hiroshima and quickly showed a talent for painting. Hoping to avoid the draft in Japan, he returned to the U.S. during World War II and was forced into an internment camp. It became the decisive season of his life, and desolate images of the camp--as well as scenes from his beloved Hiroshima, both before and after its destruction--appear repeatedly in his work. But brilliant colors and felines, whether dreamy kittens or fierce tigers, also abound. In 2001, Mirikitani was living in Washington Square Park, still drawing pictures of the events that so dramatically affected his life. To rescue him from toxic dust after the World Trade Center collapse, filmmaker Linda Hattendorf impulsively brings Mirikitani home with her, like a stray. Now roommates, the filmmaker and elderly artist explore Mirikitani's painful past, navigate the maze of social services, and seek out his long-lost relatives-aided. Mirikitani even travels back to the camp where he was interned, to make peace with the past.
Director
Linda Hattendorf
Cast
Jimmy Mirikitani
Crew
Ed Benedetto
Dawn Bergen
Deirdre Boyle
Ming Cheung
Chris Cliadakis
Keiko Deguchi
Philippe Desloovere
Holly Fisher
Lisette Marie Flanahy
Joel Goodman
Lucian Gorczynski
William Greaves
Linda Hattendorf
Linda Hattendorf
Linda Hattendorf
Machiko Kurita
Lisa Levy
Hiroko Masuike
Noriko Matsuda
Mikiko Matsuzaki
Tom Meda
Machiko Murita
Janima Nam
Sacho Nomura
Douglas O'connor
James Redding
Bob Sacha
Steven C Schechter
Larry Schmidt
Roger Shimomura
Bill Stokes
Peter Szollosi
Rieko Takeda
Paul Vasquez
Masa Yoshikawa
Masa Yosikawa
Masa Yosikawa
Charles Yuen
Charles Yuen
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Aired in USA on PBS as part of the Independent Lens series of documentaries.
Released in United States 2006 (Shown at Tribeca Film Festival (NY, NY Documentary Feature Competition) April 25-May 7, 2006.)
Released in United States 2006 (Shown at Vancouver International Film Festival (Nonfiction Features) September 28-October 13, 2006.)
Released in United States January 2007 (Shown at Palm Springs International Film Festival (2007 Best of Fest, True Stories) January 4-15, 2007.)
Released in United States Spring March 2, 2007
Winner of the Audience Award at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival.
Winner of the John Schlesinger Award, 2007 Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Released in United States 2006
Released in United States January 2007
Released in United States on Video April 8, 2008
Released in United States Spring March 2, 2007
Shown at Palm Springs International Film Festival (2007 Best of Fest, True Stories) January 4-15, 2007.
Shown at Tribeca Film Festival (NY, NY Documentary Feature Competition) April 25-May 7, 2006.
Shown at Vancouver International Film Festival (Nonfiction Features) September 28-October 13, 2006.
Released in United States on Video April 8, 2008
