Ono no Komachi: Rejuvenating One of Japan's Immortal Poets via Film

Screening
  • Add to Calendar 2019-10-04 15:00:00 2019-10-04 17:00:00 Ono no Komachi: Rejuvenating One of Japan's Immortal Poets via Film 03:00 pm 05:00 pm America/Los_Angeles public
October 4, 2019 - October 4, 2019
3pm
ROSEN FAMILY SCREENING ROOM (227), TUTOR CAMPUS CENTER
RSVP Required

Join us for a screening of an internationally award-winning short film, Tamara Ruppart’s Path of Dreams, inspired by a legend associated with ninth-century Japanese poetess, Ono no Komachi, the only female poet among Japan’s Rokkasen, the Six Poetic Geniuses of the early Heian period. Famed as an exceptional beauty, today she is a symbol of womanly allure in Japan. The event will consist of a screening of the 25-minute film followed by a panel/interactive audience discussion. The film is produced by Eleven Arts, Inc. and True Heart Films in association with Minx Pictures, directed by Tamara Ruppart and written by Velina Hasu Houston. The film has received awards globally for its direction, writing, cinematography, and overall achievement, including at the New York Winter Film Festival and the London International Filmmaker Festival. Tamara Ruppart, director; Ko Mori, producer, and the screenwriter will be present to discuss the film in an interactive Q&A with the audience. 

This event is co-sponsored by the USC Chanoyu Tea Club and the USC Libraries.
 

Panel: 
 

SCREENWRITER 

Velina Hasu Houston 

Velina Hasu Houston is an internationally celebrated writer with over 28 commissions in theatre and opera.  While she is foremost a playwright, her writing includes theatre, film, television, essays, poetry, and journalism. In New York, US nationwide, and globally, her work has been produced to critical acclaim at many prestigious institutions. For film and television, she has written work-for-hire for several mainstream companies and independent producers. While her work explores a variety of themes, it also is the most-produced work about the Japanese female experience in the U.S.  Honored by the Kennedy Center, Smithsonian Institute, Rockefeller Foundation, Japan Foundation, Wallace Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and others, she founded graduate studies in playwriting at the USC School of Dramatic Arts, where she is Distinguished Professor of Theatre in Dramatic Writing, Director of Dramatic Writing, and Resident Playwright. A Fulbright Scholar, she was on the U.S. Department of State's Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission for six years.  In Japan, she has served as visiting faculty at key institutions.  Her archives are with the U.S. Library of Congress and the Huntington Library. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild, Writers Guild of America-West, Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights, and League of Professional Theatre Women; and an Associate Artist of Playwrights’ Arena. Currently, she is Bookwriter for a musical project. For more information, click here. 
 

PRODUCER 

Ko Mori 

Ko Mori is a film producer and distributor. Originally from Japan, Ko now resides in Los Angeles, where he acts as the President and CEO of ELEVEN ARTS. ELEVEN ARTS distributes primarily Japanese Anime to the American market, and produces films in the US and globally. He has previously produced, LORDS OF CHAOS (2018 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection; Dir. Jonas Akerlund), DOWNRANGE (2017 Toronto International Film Festival Official Selection; Dir. Ryuhei Kitamura) MAN FROM RENO (2015 Independent Spirit Award Nominee; Dir. Dave Boyle), UZUMASA LIMELIGHT (2014 Winner of Best Picture and Best Actor at Fantasia International Film Festival; Dir. Ken Ochiai), and other film and tv programs.  Ko is currently in Pre-Production for PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND, a feature film directed by Sion Sono, and starring Nicolas Cage and Imogen Poots. 
 

DIRECTOR 

Tamara Ruppart

Tamara Ruppart is an award-winning director and producer, originally from New York City. She has worked as a director, producer and actor in both theater and film. On stage, she has directed KOMACHI, A THOUSAND CRANES, THE FANTASITCKS, STRIKE-SLIP, two productions of Velina Hasu Houston's KOKORO (TRUE HEART), and the world premiere of EXTINCTION. On film, she has directed RISING SUN, RISING SOUL (doc) and Japanese-language PATH OF DREAMS (short). She recently directed 14 episodes (Season 1) of THE KOOL SCHOOL, an educational TV series, and she is currently developing two features.