Join us as we dive into films produced by the Japanese American National Museum’s Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center! We will be releasing a selection of films, some for a limited time only. Organize a (virtual) screening party with your friends or family or just get cozy and enjoy the JANM Digital Film Festival from the safety of your own home. We will also have Q&A sessions with the filmmakers and others involved in the projects.

The JANM Digital Film Festival begins with Our Man in Tokyo (The Ballad of Shin Miyata), a short documentary about the struggles and obsessions of Shin Miyata, a Tokyo-based record label owner and promoter who specializes in the difficult task of distributing Chicano music in Japan.

The film explores Miyata’s goal of bringing authentic and diverse representations of Chicano and Latinx culture to Japan and his purity of intention that hasn’t brought him financial gain, but has instead delivered a wealth of understanding that has educated, enlightened, and changed the lives of many people.

Directed by Akira Boch, this film features Chicano Batman, Quetzal, El Haru Kuroi, and Joe Bataan. It was produced in conjunction with the Transpacific Borderlands: The Art of Japanese Diaspora in Lima, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and São Paulo exhibition.

Learn more about the film in this 2018 JANM blog post by director Akira Boch.