MAMA, I WANT TO SING/Sweepstakes - On DVD 2/14/12

Directed by: Aaron Woolfolk
Screenplay by: Aaron Woolfolk
Cast: Ben Guillory, Saki Takaoka, Misono, Hajime Yamasaki, Miho Shiraishi, Peter Coyote, Victor Grant, Honoka, Danny Glover
Distributor: ELEVEN ARTS
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 120 minutes

ELEVEN ARTS will bring the Japan-U.S.A.-Korea co-production THE HARIMAYA BRIDGE, executive produced by Danny Glover, to movie theaters across North America in the spring of 2010.

THE HARIMAYA BRIDGE has the distinction of being the first feature film in the Japanese film industry to be directed by an African-American. The movie, a drama featuring African-American characters in rural Japan, had a nationwide theatrical release in that country in the summer of 2009 and was met with critical acclaim. It stars an international cast of renowned actors including Ben Guillory, Saki Takaoka, Misa Shimizu, and Danny Glover. It also marks the feature film debut of writer/director Aaron Woolfolk, a former Walt Disney Studios/ABC Entertainment Writing Fellow and Directors Guild of America Best African-American Student Filmmaker Award winner.

ELEVEN ARTS is the distributor of Japanese cinema that has brought such acclaimed films as Yoji Yamada’s LOVE AND HONOR, Yoshihiko Tsustumi's MEMORIES OF TOMORROW (starring Ken Watanabe), and anime favorite EVANGELION 1.0 to American shores.

SYNOPSIS
Daniel Holder's father was killed fighting the Japanese during the Second World War...something he thought he had made peace with long ago, until a recent discovery revealed to him the cruel and brutal way in which his father died. So when Daniel's beloved artist son Mickey takes a job in Japan teaching English, it creates a rift between them.

Mickey dies in a traffic accident, and Daniel's profound regret at their estrangement is matched only by his increased resentment towards Japan...a country he thinks took not only his father, but now his only child as well. Despite these feelings, Daniel goes to Japan to retrieve Mickey's final paintings. But despite the kindness he is shown and the evidence of the happy life his son led, he cannot let go of his hatred.

But some unexpected discoveries about Mickey's life and legacy change everything for Daniel, forcing him to reassess his feelings and the life he will henceforth lead.

Film Festival History

• Hawaii International Film Festival -- Official Selection
• Riviera Maya International Film Festival -- Opening Film
• San Diego Asian Film Festival -- Official Selection
• African Diaspora Film Festival -- Official Selection
• Pan African Film and Arts Festival 2010
  -- Winner of First Time Narrative Feature Award for Directing