The Consulate General of Japan and the High Museum will present a Japanese film festival every Saturday from March 6-20, 2010.

All screenings begin at 8:00 p.m. in Rich Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309. The Rich Theatre is located at 15^th and Peachtree Streets, next to the High Museum of Art at MARTA stop N-5.

Tickets are $7 general admission, $6 students, seniors, and Museum members. Patron level members enter free. To purchase tickets in advance, go to www.High.org, visit the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office, or call 404-733-5000.

For more information about the film festival, contact the Consulate General of Japan at 404-365-9240 or info@cgjapanatlanta.org or visit http://www.atlanta.us.emb-japan.go.jp/filmfest2010.html.

The Harimaya Bridge (2009, 35mm, 120 minutes.) In Japanese and English with subtitles.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Written and directed by Aaron Woolfolk, an alumnus of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. Starring Ben Guillory, Saki Takaoka, Misa Shimizu, and Danny Glover.

Daniel Holder’s father was killed fighting the Japanese during World War II, something he thought he had made peace with until the recent discovery that his father was killed in a very cruel and brutal way. When his beloved son Mickey takes a job in Japan teaching English, it creates a rift between them. Mickey dies in a traffic accident, and Daniel’s profound regret at their estrangement is matched only by his increasing resentment towards Japan. Despite these feelings, he goes there to retrieve precious items belonging to his son. Daniel is welcomed in Kochi by Mickey’s former colleagues. While he sees that his son was loved by the people there, he rejects the kindness shown towards him, preferring to hold onto his hatred. But a series of unexpected discoveries about Mickey forces Daniel to reassess his feelings for Japan and the life he will henceforth lead.

Official Selection, African Diaspora Film Festival 2009 (NY, USA); Official Selection, Cancun Riviera Maya International Film Festival 2009 (Cancun, Mexico); Official Selection, Hawaii International Film Festival 2009 (Honolulu, USA); Official Selection, San Diego Asian Film Festival 2009 (San Diego, USA)