Directed by Shinji Sômai, 1994
NR; Japanese with English subtitles; 113 minutes
In this delightful and moving coming-of-age story, three young boys (Naoki Sakata, Taiki Oh, and Kenichi Makino) take an increasing interest in an eccentric old man (Rentaro Minuki) who lives alone in a house surrounded by an overgrown garden. The boys form a bond with the recluse and set about weeding and replanting his garden. Based on a 1992 book by Kazumi Yumoto.
Directed by Ivan Dixon, 1973
PG; 102 minutes
Pay-what-you-can
A former CIA agent (Lawrence Cook) uses his training in warfare, clandestine operations, and unarmed combat to organize Black teenagers into well-trained bands of guerrilla fighters bent on overthrowing the white establishment.
Gary Levinson, violinist and CMSFW artistic director, leads an ensemble of world-class musicians to kick off the first concert of the season. Hyeyeon Park, piano; Gary Levinson, violin; Jen Betz, violin; Dmitry Kustanovich, viola; Julian Schwarz, cello; Bernhard Scully, horn; Jonathan Gunn, clarinet
Pre-Concert Lecture at 1:15 pm
Performance at 2 pm
Free admission to exhibitions for educators and their families (10 am–5 pm)
Free educational resources for educators to use with students (Noon–4 pm)
Free promotional materials for exhibitions and school/teacher programs (Noon–4 pm)
Directed by Samuel Van Grinsven
NR; 100 minutes
“Went Up the Hill is indeed a ghost story and possession tale, it’s also a story about the very real, very traumatic things that haunt us.” —Kate Erbland, IndieWire
Directed by Kate Beecroft
R; 97 minutes
“Tapping into universal tensions with a charged specificity, East of Wall is vibrant with its sense of place and, beneath its hard-knocks surface, a poetry of astonishment and yearning.” —Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter
Directed by Kristin Scott Thomas
NR; 95 minutes
“[A] warm story about a family of grown-ups coming to terms with their relationships and the past.” —Caryn James, The Hollywood Reporter
Many years before he wowed the anime world with the mega-hit Your Name in 2016, Makoto Shinkai explored the same themes of teenage love, longing, and separation across different realms in The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004). Set in an alternative world where post-war Japan is divided up between the US and Russia, the story centers on three teenagers: two boys, Hiroki and Takuya, and a girl, Sayuri, living in the northern part of Japan (Honshu).
Japanese culture’s rich tapestry of mythological creatures and demons provides the background for the 2024 film Ghost Cat Anzu, directed by Yoko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita. Fifth-grader Karin has lost her mother and her ne’er-do-well, debt-ridden father has left her in the care of her grandfather, a priest at a Shinto shrine. Of course, the shrine has a live-in walking, talking, scooter-riding cat named Anzu.
As one of the few female anime directors, Naoko Yamada has made a big name for herself, directing high-profile anime series such as K-ON!, Sound! Euphonium, The Heike Story, and the 2016 feature film A Silent Voice. In her most recent film, The Colors Within (2024), she continues to explore teenagers’ experiences and the important role of music in their lives. Totsuko is high school student at a Catholic boarding school for girls who has synesthesia. She sees people as colors, but is still searching for what her own color might be.
