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FitnessProsBooks.com - The Cats of Mirikitani
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List Price: $29.95
Our Price: $25.45
Your Save: $ 4.50 ( 15% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Arts Alliance America
Starring: Tsutomu Mirikitani
Directed By: Linda Hattendorf
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: HART SHARP VIDEO
EAN: 8295670479276
Format: Closed-captioned
Label: Arts Alliance America
Manufacturer: Arts Alliance America
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Arts Alliance America
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2008-04-08
Running Time: 96
Studio: Arts Alliance America
Theatrical Release Date: 2006
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: An amazing, REAL journey of the heart
Comment: What probably started as curiosity and sympathy turns into a life experience of discovery, friendship and love - the real kind. Beautiful, haunting, true to the human spirit. This is a moving story about a street person, Jimmy Mirikitani, who turns out to be a grand master artist running from a past of the cruelties of the American Japanese internment camps. He is a passionate artist, with dual citizenship, who was born in American, educated in Japan, and eventually came back to America to pursue his passion - art, in his own style - a fusion of orient and occident. But after the cruel internment and losing his American citizenship in the process, he ends up with nothing, yet desparately continues his art. With no sense of placement in any country, he begins living on the fringes of American society. When his luck runs out, he ends up on the street. This is where the story begins. He carries a quiet anger and bitterness, yet never for one moment does he sway from his deep seeded commitment to his art. He has no self pity, he has only the integrity and beauty of the artistic vision within. The director starts filming, following his life, but then 9/11 happens and he has no where to go. She gives him a place to stay, and thus ensues the lively friendship that fills both of their lives with surprises, warmth, respect and eventually, true friendship. This ultimately offers Jimmy a vehicle for coming full circle - to a place of acceptance and healing. This is one of my favorite all-time documentaries - it's magic.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A true gift
Comment: This is a remarkable film. Linda Hattendorf allows this story to unfold and we witness the rebirth of a man's spirit. I purchased the film to show to friends because something this miraculous must be shared. And I have seen even the most cynical subdued by its soul and heart.
This film was shown in a shorter version on Independent Lens but I would recommend the full-length video. The additional footage provides a more cohesive story and to be honest - even at 90 minutes I still did not want it to end.
Thanks go to Linda Hattendorf for allowing us to share in this story of giving and healing and peace. Thanks go to Jimmy Mirikitani for keeping the history alive all these years through his art but not relinquishing the beauty of the cats, persimmons, karps and other living things.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful story, wonderful movie
Comment: This is a wonderful documentary based on a true story. In the process of 'redeeming' a homeless neighborhood man after 9/11, Jimmy slowly redeems us by revealing his past and through his wonderful, whimsical art and personality. He celebrates his 88th birthday next week.
Customer Rating:
Summary: An Incredible Journey
Comment: This documentary was a bit pricey, but my goodness, well worth it. After befriending Jimmy Mirikitani, the filmmaker takes us on a journey from homelessness, through the tragedy of 9/11, through Jimmy's rightful hatred for the US government (oddly enough, later on in the film he's seen wearing a baseball cap with the American flag and eagle on it!), meeting his long-lost family, revisiting the internment camp he was held captive in in Tula Lake, his acceptance of his status as an America citizen and placement in a assisted living apartment using his social security, and (through the special features) his eventual return to Hiroshima for a visit on the national day of mourning. I just finished the film and it is fresh in my mind. Tears were shed. A very emotional and rewarding documentary that I can highly recommend to everyone. Definitely a film that will remain in your heart, because it makes entry.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A moving story
Comment: I was fortunate to see this film during its premiere run at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2006 (where it won the Audience Award) and have been looking for a chance to see it again ever since! What starts out as an examination of a year in the life of Jimmy Mirikitani, a homeless artist in NYC, becomes a different story when the events of 9/11 prompt the documentarian (Linda Hattendorf) to cease being just an observer and become personally involved in her subject's story. The resulting revelations of Mirikitani's personal history and treatment as a Japanese-American during WWII are heartbreaking and eye opening, which makes the process that he & Hattendorf go through in an attempt to heal old wounds and get him back on his feet even more inspirational. I've very rarely been as moved by a film as I was by this one. I can't recommend it highly enough!!
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Editorial Reviews:
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Eighty-year-old Jimmy Mirikitani survived the trauma of WWII internment camps, Hiroshima, and homelessness by creating art. But when 9/11 threatens his life on the New York City streets and a local filmmaker brings him to her home, the two embark of a journey to confront Jimmy's painful past.
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