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by Yina Chun
SBU AA E-Zine Editor
If you have a story to tell,
what would you say in it? How do you start to tell someone about a
personal story that is so important, upon waking up to the last
thought before sleep it is all that you think about?
In the 'Cats of Mirikitani', Grand Master Jimmy Mirikitani at last was able to tell
the world about his story, one that has haunted him since the end of
World War II. Although the pain scarred Jimmy, this small of stature
yet charismatic man didn’t let the unforgettable pain cripple him.
It did, however, take everything else away.
The lonesome man has been
without a home, living on the streets of NYC day to day with
just his art, for many years. He would not accept a handout but
rather sold his drawings for food. That was until Linda Hattendorf, a
saint and a film editor, passed by and took interest in his art.
Then during the chaos on 9/11, she took
him to her apartment. What had begun as the simple filming of a
local homeless artist became her first documentary with the telling
of his story in 'The Cats of Mirikitani'.
In this unforgettable film Jimmy tells the story of an educated and
talented artist who survives an internment camp, discrimination, and
government hatred to the eventual loss of a job that left him a
homeless man. To the world he seems lost and alone, small and
delicate, but the resilience of his personality and his art is what
brings him to the top of humanity. A true artist with a true heart,
he raises the peace sign to say “Make peace, not war” - always
talking about the internment camps and the dropping of the bomb on
the city of his birth, Nagasaki.
With the generous help of Linda,
Jimmy was able to go back to Tule Lake Camp where he was imprisoned
for more than two years. It was an emotional journey going back to
where a close friend died, where his sister was separated from him,
where he was forced to renounce his U.S. citizenship. Their year long journey was short compared to the homeless roads
Jimmy himself took, what he saw, and what he was able to
survive on.
Today Jimmy lives in an elderly home on 46th and 10th in NYC. While he still produces work tirelessly showing and telling the world about his story, he is free today of much of the hostile pain that he had spent most of his life experiencing after his release from the camp. With enormous help from Linda, he found the sister he had lost when they were sent to different camps more that 50 years earlier. It was amazing to see how with just a small window of opportunity one person can do so much for another person.
The movie was deeply emotional. The audience of students in the Wang Center would all agree how much they were moved by the story of Jimmy Mirikitani and impressed with Linda Hattendorf and her warm heart. Many were moved to tears. Together these two show the world what is it like to truly help someone, to erase pain from someone's heart. Jimmy Mirikitani not only has an outstanding personality to withstand the roughest conditions with grace and dignity but to continue to believe in the greater good of mankind. Like many of the great people we admire today, Jimmy Mirikitani certainly moved me to work towards the betterment of humanity.
About the film
http://www.thecatsofmirikitani.com/aboutFilm.htm
