Malden Public Library and Malden Reads are excited to announce a special screening of the film, “The Cats of Mirikitani,” on Wednesday, March 15, 2023: 6:00-8:00pm. We will be joined by the film’s director, Linda Hattendorf (via Zoom), for a Q&A discussion after the film.
In 2001, Linda Hattendorf, meets an elderly homeless man on the streets of New York City who creates whimsical paintings of cats and only accepts money from passers-by if they take one of his paintings in exchange. As the tragedy of 9/11 unfolds, Hattendorf invites the artist into her home and learns that he is Jimmy Mirikitani, a Sacramento, California-born man whose family moved from California to Hiroshima, only to flee Japan as WWII begins. Over time, with remarkable compassion and empathy from Hattendorf, Mirikitani reveals that he is a “Grand Master Artist” who once met Jackson Pollock, and that during WWII he was one of the thousands of Japanese-American people who were forced to go to Tule Lake, one of the most notorious Japanese-American internment camps during WWII. This profound and gripping documentary is a story of art, resilience, compassion, and healing and is not to be missed.
This film screening is one of Malden Reads’ 2023 season of events for the graphic novel, “They Called Us Enemy” by George Takei. Pick up a copy of the book in English or Spanish at the Library or read the e-book via Libby or Hoopla with your Library card. For more information about this event, please call the Malden Public Library at 781-324-0218. Join us for the film screening in-person at the Library or register for the Q&A at: https://bit.ly/maldenreads
Co-sponsored by the Malden Reads and the Malden Public Library.
