Ruth Asawa: Roots of an Artist
(Directed by Bob Toy, 37min, English )
5/13 (Fri) @ 6:30pm

An absorbing documentary portraying world-famous American artist Ruth Asawa, age 85, a beloved San Francisco icon of art and mentorship. Ruth’s fountains dot the San Francisco landscape, and her wire sculptures hang in museums worldwide. Learn the story of how Ruth’s kitchen table, where friends, artists, and students gathered, was donated to the Bethany Center in the Mission District, where Ruth’s Table is now the arts and creativity center for people over 50 living independent lives.

Post-screening Q&A with director Bob Toy; Ruth’s son and daughter Paul Lanier and Aiko Cuneo; Lola Fraknoi, of Ruth’s Table at the Bethany Center.

Tickets $11

5 Film Shorts

5/14 (Sat) @ 1:00pm

Advanced Style
(Directed by Lina Plioplyte, 3min, English )
Meet the stars of NY photographer Ari Seth Cohen’s Advanced Style, a blog devoted “to capturing the sartorial savvy of the senior set, … people who live life to the fullest, age gracefully and continue to grow and challenge themselves.”

A mosaic of elders from other cultures
(Directed by HelpAge International (HAI), 5min, English )
HAI helps older people claim their rights, so that they can lead dignified, secure, active and healthy lives. Last year they changed the lives of 1.5 million older people across the world.

An Old Hand
(Directed by Amy Dickson, 3min, English )
“A portrait of my grandmother: Life continues to challenge us right into old age. Her greatest legacy to me is her tenacity.”

Beautifully Esther
(Directed by Ricardo Korda, 23min, English )
A drama about Esther and Joszi who live a quiet, sheltered life in Venice Beach, CA. Their stagnant daily routine comes to an end when Joszi suddenly collapses, and Esther finds out her husband was hiding a secret. Confronted by her husband’s reluctance to change, Esther must decide how she wants to spend the rest of her days.

Seniors Rocking
(Directed by Ruedi Gerber, 28min, English )
A delightful documentary that unveils the artistic process and captures the communal energy behind the unique performance created by American dance pioneer Anna Halprin with senior citizens from the Redwoods Community of Seniors in Marin County, CA.

Tickets $11 for all 5 films

Old People Driving & Nobody’s Business

5/14 (Sat) @ 3:15pm

Old People Driving
(Directed by Shaleece Haas, 24min, English )
Director Shaleece Haas asks: “Can a person be simply too old to drive?” The film chronicles the adventures of Milton (age 96) and Herbert (age 99) as they confront a grim milestone: the end of their driving years. Crucial issues of safety and independence come to the forefront.

Nobody’s Business
(Directed by Alan Berliner, 60min, English )
Alan Berliner takes on his reclusive father as the reluctant subject of this film from 1996. A uniquely cinematic biography that finds both humor and pathos in the swirl of conflicts and affections that bind father and son. A memorable essay about the nature of family relationships.

Tickets $11 for both films

The First Grader [ Premiere! ]

(Directed by Justin Chadwick , 100min, English )
5/14 (Sat) @ 5:30pm
In a small, remote, primary school in the Kenyan bush, hundreds of children are jostling for a chance at free education newly promised by the Kenyan government in 2002. One applicant creates a stir: Maruge, an old Mau Mau veteran in his eighties. Having fought for the liberation of his country, Maruge is desperate to learn how to read at this late stage of his life — even if it means sitting in a classroom alongside six-year-olds. The film is a triumphant testimony to the transforming force of education. An enchanting true-life story, made more so by the fact Maruge would later address the United Nations about the need for education in Africa.
PG-13 for some disturbing violent content and very brief nudity.

Tickets $11

HAPPY TO BE SO … & Ida’s Dance Club

5/15 (Sun) @ 1:00pm

HAPPY TO BE SO …
(Directed by Yelena Demikovsky, 48min, English )
An affectionate and candid chronicle told with humor and irony by the principals themselves: two renowned ballet stars and current ballet masters Mireille Briane and Oleg Briansky, who have been married 50 years. They offer the viewer their shared days of glory, shining hours, and tragic reversals of fortune.

Ida’s Dance Club
(Directed by Dalit Kimor, 60min, English )
A ballroom dancing competition in a retirement community is the setting for this moving documentary portrait of individuals dancing against all odds. The participants are past retirement age, but that doesn’t stop them from dancing and singing, from falling in love — or not. The magical atmosphere of the club and the dancing gives them the strength to overcome the wear and tear of time, health problems and difficult memories.

Tickets $11 for both films

Over 90 & Loving It

(Directed by Susan Polis Schutz, 60min, English )
5/15 (Sun) @ 3:45pm
Is it ‘good genes,’ exercise and nutrition, caring for others, or just good luck that makes the subjects of this film so long-lived and passionate about life? The filmmaker interviews engaging characters living life to the fullest. Both their philosophies and actions should inspire intergenerational audiences to pick up the pace.

Tickets $11

Another Harvest Moon

(Directed by Greg W. Swartz, 90min, English )
5/15 (Sun) @ 5:30pm
A sensitive drama of four elderly residents coping with life in a nursing home. When Frank, played by 93-year old Ernest Borgnine, suffers a second stroke, his friends and family, including his 15-year-old grandson, must confront their feelings about faith, dignity and obligations to loved ones. The cast includes: Academy-Award winner Ernest Borgnine, and award-winning veteran stars Doris Roberts, Ann Meara, Piper Laurie and Cybill Shepherd.

Tickets $11

NEW PEOPLE Entertainment is pleased to announce the DVD release of our favorite food documentary “eatrip”! Come join us for the screening, and get a poster and the new DVD at a ticket bundle price!

A contemporary Japanese food culture documentary.
People eat. It is a universal experience and that is how we survive. However, eating has become more than a replenishment of nutrients. It has become an opportunity for bonding with others as well as an act of interacting with nature. The film explores the interpersonal relationships that food nurtures and takes you on a journey throughout Japan looking at how life can be led richly through the daily ritual of eating. From the Tsukiji fish market to an Okinawan farm, the film offers poignant interviews with intriguing personalities. www.eatripfilm.com

Showings:
3:00pm, 5:00pm, 7:00pm

Tickets: $25 for movie ticket + DVD + poster
$10 for movie ticket

NEW PEOPLE is holding a third fundraiser film event. This time the film is our beloved Kamikaze Girls! This all-time favorite film is based in Ibaragi, Japan, which is also an area vastly damaged by the recent earthquake and is striving to recover as we speak.

100% of proceeds will be donated to NORTHERN JAPAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUNDS by Japantown’s JCCCNC
Find out more about donating for Japan’s relief >>>

*Kamikaze Girls Poster for all supporters that attend this event!

**The admission is free with suggested donations from $10 that could be donated at VIZ Cinema or through our online box office ( For online purchases, online service fee will be charged. ) More donation could be made at VIZ Cinema on the day of show. Thank you!


ABOUT THE FILM:
Meet Momoko, a self-absorbed dreamer who fantasizes about fleeing her backcountry home and living life in 18th century Versailles. When she unexpectedly meets the rebellious Ichigo, a rough-and-tumble biker chick, the two misfits form a unique friendship–together, nothing can stop them!
Born from the pages of favorite cult author Novala Takemoto, Kamikaze Girls is a frenetic roller-coaster ride brimming with day-glo visuals and wild hilarity that you will never forget! For more information about the movie, visit Kamikaze Girls’ official site.

“Easily the most enjoyable flick I’ve seen all year.” – SF Chronicle

Watch the trailer: