Kazuo Hara's "Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974" at Toronto's CineCycle on March 26th

by Chris MaGee

Besides "House" coming to The Bloor there's other Toronto screening news this Friday and it comes by way of myself here at the Pow-Wow. Some of you will recall that I and local film curator (and musician and artist and Renaissance woman) Naomi Hocura premiered butoh dancer Masaki Iwana's 2008 film "Vermilion Souls" here at CineCycle this past month. Now, as part of what we hope will be an ongoing series of events that will highlight the experimental and underground film and culture of Japan Naomi and I are pleased to announce our second event.

On Friday, March 26th come out to CineCycle (129 Spadina Ave.) for a screening of Kazuo Hara's classic documentary "Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974". Hara, the director of such classic films as "Goodbye CP" and "The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On", obsessively documents his ex-lover Miyuki Takeda, a woman bent on living her life on her terms and in total opposition to society's expectations and morals. Living in Okinawa she takes up with a string of new lovers, both female and male, and supports her young son by dancing in a strip club catering to African-American G.I.s. Hara uses his camera both in an attempt to bring himself closer to Takeda and as a buffer against her frequent tirades against him and society at large.

The night starts at 8:00PM with a screening of the short films and video of Toronto artist DaHye Kim, and it's only $10.00 at the door (doors open at 7:30PM). We can't wait to see you there!