Saturday, September 21, 2013

Anthro-film Laboratory and Visual Anthropology of Japan Joint Screening and International Premiere Event


Anthro-film Laboratory and Visual Anthropology of Japan present a joint screening and international premiere event. Two recent graduates from the University of Southern California Masters in Visual Anthropology Program will screen their thesis films. Discussion will follow. The event is free and open to all.

Thursday, 26 September 2013, 6:30 PM
Kansai Gaidai University, Hirakata-shi, Osaka
International Communication Center (ICC Building 6)
4th Floor Grand Hall

Lowcura, 30 minutes by Jazmin Ontiveros

Synopsis: From the post World War II era, a time when car ownership became one of the key components of the “American Dream” myth, the lowrider stood as the Chicanos symbolic refusal of the mainstream, American need-for-speed. With their chin up, their y que! (so what!) facial expression, and their carefully slicked-back hair, Chicanos cruised the concrete streets low and slow. Under warm California sunrays, Chicanos’ lowriders dropped jaws and turned heads. Lowriders were not fast and competitive; they were slow and visible.

Following this historical continuation of lowriding, Lowcura takes us on a ride into the present-day Bay Area's lowriding scene from the passengers seat of the Padrinos Car Club’s lowriders. Through the lens of a car club member’s younger sister, the passenger and filmmaker, we see the Padrinos’ lowriders as mobile murals for the concrete streets to see. But once the ignitions are off and the lowriders are parked, we are introduced to a 30 year-old legacy of a brotherhood--or a second family--created in the streets of South San Francisco.

As lowriding has spread globally to places such as Japan and Brazil, the film provides a window into the ways in which the lowriding movement is always rooted in friendships, hometown pride and of course, the love of cruising.


Website: https://jazmin-ontiveros.squarespace.com

The Making of a King, 30 minutes by Nicole Miyahara

Synopsis: Lesser known than their more popular counterparts, drag kings are biological female performance artists who dress in male clothing and perform masculinity. In Los Angeles, where queens traditionally rule the stage, these kings challenge the pervasive idea that they can’t reign just as fierce. Some perform simply for the love of the stage and as a creative outlet from the monotony of their day jobs; for others, the stakes are much higher. Landon Cider is known as So-Cal's "premier" drag king and produces and hosts three drag king shows in the greater Los Angeles area. He is working toward making drag his full time occupation and has hopes to be the first drag king on the popular "reality" TV show, RuPaul's Drag Race. The Making of a King gives us a candid look at this fast growing drag king community and the dedication it takes to become a male illusionist. They reveal aspirations to be recognized in pop-culture, how they re-imagine masculinity, and what their futures in-and-out of drag hold for them.

Featuring performances from: Landon Cider, Lucky Johnson, Havok Von Doom, Phantom, and many more along with the electro pop beats of Hi Fashion.


Facebook: www.facebook.com/themakingofaking
Website: www.nicolemiyahara.com

Map of Kansai Gaidai: http://www.kansaigaidai.ac.jp/asp/admission/_userdata/CMP.pdf

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