FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS JAPANESE TRADITIONS

BY MAYRA MARTINEZ
Editor

The finale of the grand parade liven up the crowd as it traveled down Post Street in Japantown. MAYRA MARTINEZ / GUARDSMAN

The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival took over Japantown for two days for its 39th year and culminated with a grand parade through San Francisco.

This year, the festival coincided with the 100th anniversary of Japantown.

Over two days under white tents in Japantown, people became immersed in the Japanese culture with everything from origami to sword performances. Festivities included the food bazaar, martial arts performances, tea ceremonies, flower arrangement, and Japanese painting.

The festival is the second largest in the nation next to the one in Washington D.C. “This year was a very big success. We have been receiving 7200 hits a day on the website.” festival executive organizer Richard Hashimoto said.

Stages showcased classical Japanese dances, traditional Japanese music, and choral groups.

“The festival celebrates the blooming of the cherry blossom. The cherry blossom is short lived. It lives only two or three days before they die.” Hashimoto said.

Cherry trees came to the United States in 1912 as a gift of friendship from the people of Japan. The beauty of the flowering cherry tree, or “Sakura” in Japanese, is a symbol of the evolution of life. Every year the blooming of the cherry blossom means spring has finally arrived.

The festival was highlighted by the grand parade. Colorful floats, flags, banners and hundreds of dancers celebrated along the way from City Hall to Japantown.

The people lining Post Street enjoyed a multitude of geishas in vibrant teal and white kimonos performing their delicate, graceful dancing as fire red and yellow dragons greeted people on the sidewalk.

Beauty queens waived to the crowd atop lovely floats while Hawaiian hula and classical Japanese dancers performed with cherry blossoms in hand.

The soundtrack was provided by firecrackers, Japanese taiko drummers, traditional Japanese folk music and even a little rock and roll.

The 54 parade participants also included members of the city council, boys and girl scouts of America and the San Francisco Fire Department.

Many City College students volunteered in the festival, including the grand parade.

“The parade brings a lot of people out,” said Jeff Uyeda, a City College student and festival volunteer. “It’s a fun time.”

The raucous ending of the parade featured two men singing atop a tall tower supported by a rowdy group, which received energetic response from the crowd, including Alia Dong. ”My favorite part was the grand finale with the naked guys and the
free sake,” she said.

e-mail: a_e@theguardsman.com

SF FILM FEST: FROM ARGENTINA TO OUTER SPACE

BY MAYRA MARTINEZ
Editor

In the new film, “The Wild Blue Yonder”, director Werner Herzog takes the viewer into outer space. COURTESY OF THE WILD BLUE YONDER

The annual San Francisco International Film Festival is boasting nearly 200 entries in its 49th year which began April 20 and will end tomorrow.

The longest running film festival in America includes feature films as well as documentaries and short films. Filmmakers from over 50 countries participated this year and showcased the endless possibility of cinema.

One of the most anticipated films this year is “The Wild Blue Yonder” by Werner Herzog, recipient of the festival’s Film Society Directing Award.

Herzog received quite a bit of press for his last film “Grizzly Man,” which followed the passionate but troubled Timothy Treadwell up to his gruesome killing by a grizzly bear. This time, Herzog lets the vastness of outer space fill the screen and awe moviegoers with his science fiction fantasy. The mesmerizing soundtrack and imagery of “The Wild Blue Yonder” bring the viewers into the outer realms of the universe.

Robert Altman, another well-known director, showcased his latest work, “A Prairie Home Companion.” Adapted from Garrison Keillor’s famed radio show, the musical-comedy has an astronomical line up including Meryl Streep, Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Kline and Lindsay Lohan.

Not all of the films, however, have the clout of big-name actors or directors. The festival offers a chance for San Francisco to see lesser-known films that have not been picked up to be distributed in the United States.

With his “Ghost World” from 2001 now a cult classic, Director Terry Zwigoff is back with “Art School Confidential”, a scathing black comedy that delivers an unadulterated look at the art school experience.

The documentary category always features the real stars of the festival. This year, the brightest among them is Argentinean documentary “The Dignity of the Nobodies,” directed by Fernando E. Solanas. It is the second of a four-part series exposing the corporate corruption of Argentina’s economy. The passionate film exposes the real victims of the country’s dire political situation, its people fighting to restore their country.

Another fan-favorite is “Iberia” from Spain. Director Carlos Saura takes the viewer on a lyrical tour of Spain through the music of composer Isaac Albeniz and the country’s traditional ballet and flamenco dancing.

From Italy, adult romance “The Life I Want” is a film-within-a-film by director Giuseppe Piccioni. The captivating romance follows its two protagonists both in the present day and in the 19th century.

Another romance, the fanciful “Perhaps Love” from Hong Kong, is being lauded as a milestone for Asian cinema. The whimsical romance directed by Peter Ho-Sun Chan is a fusion of Western musical films set in Shanghai with a Bollywood choreographer, a first of its kind.

For listings of all films and more information, visit the San Francisco International Film Festival website at www.sffs.org.

e-mail: a_e@theguardsman.com