WSU’s 2007-08 Common Book Selection raises questions about food consumption and production as well as Japanese-American relations and cultural conflicts. These films—including Ruth Ozeki’s feature Halving the Bones— provide a healthy diet for the minds of readers of My Year of Meats. All films are shown free of charge and will be followed by a brief discussion.
Monday, February 18
Super Size Me
8 pm, Minné 104
Why are Americans so fat? Two words: fast food. What would happen if you ate nothing but fast food for an entire month? Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock does just that and embarks on the most perilous journey of his life. The rules? For 30 days he can’t eat or drink anything that isn’t on McDonald’s menu; he must wolf three squares a day; he must consume everything on the menu at least once and supersize his meal if asked. Introduced by Sally Slattery.
Wednesday, February 20
Time of Fear
8 pm, Minné 104
In World War II, more than 110,000 Japanese-Americans were forced into relocation camps across the US. This film traces the lives of the 16,000 people who were sent to two camps in southeast Arkansas, one of the most racially segregated places in America at that time. Through interviews with the internees and local citizens, the film explores how the influx of outsiders overwhelmed and exposed racial tensions within the southern communities. Introduced by James Hunter.
Monday, February 25
Sumo East & West
8 pm, Minné 104
American competitors are rapidly changing the ancient Japanese sport of sumo. Is this a form of cultural appropriation, or merely a form of cultural appreciation? Four years in the making, Sumo East and West offers a rare opportunity to go inside the cloistered and highly secretive world of sumo, where the historical clash between East and West plays out in the story of the Western outsiders who have entered this quintessentially Japanese institution. Introduced by Heather Mead.
Wednesday, February 27
Halving the Bones: a film by Ruth Ozeki
3-5 pm, Kryzsko Student Activities Center
Ruth, a half-Japanese filmmaker living in New York, has inherited a can of bones that she keeps on a shelf in her closet. The bones are half of the remains of her dead Japanese grandmother, which she is supposed to deliver to her estranged mother. A narrative and visual web of family stories, home movies and documentary footage, Halving the Bones explores the meaning of family, history, and memory. Introduced by Jennie Case. This screening will be followed by an interview with Ruth Ozeki.
