the brickellian® 10.13

I am on my way to New York for a very exciting event – my documentary film West Encounters East ® has been chosen as an official selection of the New York City Independent Film Festival! Although it is open to the general public, this festival also showcases independent films to the entertainment industry, so it is a wonderful opportunity for the artists in the film to gain more exposure.

Since its debut on WPBT Channel 2 in May, West Encounters East ® has been shown on more than 278 public television channels across the U.S. Recently, it opened the Brazilian Film Festival of Miami – and the very next night, aired at Cinema Paradiso in Ft. Lauderdale.

I recently returned from Japan, where we began filming a second documentary that will continue the series that began with West Encounters East ®. We had many wonderful encounters with this ancient Asian culture, and I am happy to be embarking on a new journey into the magical realm of art, where I find balance– between cultures, between individuals, and within my own heart.

Encounters Along the Journey

West Encounters East® on dvd

To Order Call1-800-222-9728

Stella M. HolmesFounder, The Brickellian, Inc. Ph

oto:

Kaz

uo O

kubo

, 201

2

editor’s letter

DVD

the brickellian®

west encounters east®

the brickellian ®

Stella M. Holmes Editor

Carolina Lucero Contributing Writer

Chris Rogers, yazi Graphic Designer

On the cover: Jade Matarazzo© 2013 All Rights Reserved.

the brickellian ® is published quarterly by The Brickellian, Inc.Phone: (305) 854-4959Email: clucero@thebrickellian.comwww.thebrickellian.com

Visit West Encounters East ® ´s websites at:www.westencounterseast.com

Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/westencounterseast

The documentary film West Encounters East ® takes viewers on a fascinating journey into a little-known world of art: the world of Japanese Brazilian artists in São Paulo, home to the largest population of ethnic Japanese outside of Japan. The film explores the fusion of Asian and Latin American culture, history and tradition in the works of well-known Japanese Brazilian artists, including Tomie Ohtake, Manabu Mabe, Yutaka Toyota, Flavio-Shiró, Takashi Fukushima, Kazuo Okubo, Catarina Gushiken, and many others. The story of these artists, told primarily through their canvases, sculptures, ceramics and photography, brings to light the dynamic and largely untold saga of the Japanese presence in Brazil.

The concept was developed by art historian and filmmaker Stella M. Holmes, who was inspired by the works of these multicultural artists to embark upon a personal journey of discovery.

Revisiting Japanese Gardens Akiko Iwata

Akiko Iwata, a landscape designer, recently traveled to Japan with Stella Holmes as part of her production crew for a second documentary about the role of art in building bridges between East and West.

I am originally from Japan, but I hadn’t gone back to my country for a few years. This journey revealed a new perspective to me, because I was looking at Japanese culture from the outside, like a foreigner. To revisit Eastern culture through the Japanese art crafts scene was an exceptional experience, and had a big impact on me.

As a landscape designer, I am particularly interested in traditional Japanese gardens, which represent the relationship between human beings and nature. Japanese people always appreciate nature, and to keep that connection we create gardens to capture views of nature in our living environment. A Japanese garden is a miniature of the landscape, and incorporates elements of its setting, such as moun-tains in the background. For us, it represents the universe. When we look at a bonsai tree or view the landscape from the window, nature heals our minds. View of the Japanese garden in the center of Tokyo from the Chinzanso Hotel.

At Ugenta, a guest house in Kyoto. The river running beneath the floor provides ecological air conditioning. Under the tree branches, light and shadow create a romantic setting.

In cloudy weather, this miniature garden looks like an ink wash painting. The distant mountains serve as a background; the rocks and trees in front compose the significant landscape.

journeyswest encounters east®

West Encounters East® on the Film Festival Circuit

Return to JapanGianni Toyota, Videographer

After airing on 278 public television channels across the country, West Encounters East ®, a documentary film by Stella M. Holmes, has been drawing crowds at South Florida theaters.

On August 17, Ms. Holmes gave the opening speech at the opening of the 17th Brazilian Film Festival of Miami at Miami Beach Cinematheque. Following the screening of West Encounters East ®, she answered questions from the audience.

The next day, it was featured at Cinema Paradiso in Ft. Lauderdale, again followed by a question and answer session with Ms. Holmes.

The Brazilian Film Festival is “the only international event where the public can truly see Brazil purely through its culture, amazing locations and its people,” said Viviane Spinnelli, director of Inffinito, which produces the event.

That makes it a perfect venue for West Encounters East ®, which takes viewers on a journey into the vibrant, little-known world of Japanese Brazilian artists. Japanese in heritage, Brazilian in nationality, these multicultural artists are finding new ways to give expression to issues of immigration, alienation and assimilation, creating a balance between East and West that helps to promote

I was very proud when I heard that more than 280 television channels in the U.S. had broadcast our first documentary, West Encounters East ®. “That’s a big success!” I thought. But I was not expecting Stella Holmes to invite me to work on the next documentary in the series. It is an honor to do it again – and a great challenge, because we have to make something even better!

We started our journey in Tokyo again. Our first interview was with the artist Kazumi Murose, who is from a legendary family of Japanese lacquer artists. His contemporary works present a new challenge inside the thousand-year-old Japanese art craft culture.

Viviane Spinelli, Stella Holmes, and Dana Keith

Tokyo is awake The sound of silence

documentarywest encounters east®

mutual awareness and respect as modes of greater tolerance and more positive interchange in an age of challenge between differing cultures.

“I am pleased with the way West Encounters East ® has been received,” Ms. Holmes said. “I am very grateful to Gregory von Hausch, executive director of Cinema Paradiso, and to Viviane Spinnelli and her staff at Inffinito for these important opportunities.”

Next month, she will take West Encounters East ® to New York’s Times Square theater district, where the documentary will air as an official selection of the New York City Independent Film Festival. Visit www.nycindiefilmfest.com/films/view/west-encounters-east for details.

After the big and noisy cities of Tokyo and Kyoto, we shot in some old, forgotten places in the countryside, on the mountains and in small vi l lages where fishermen and older people are stil l living as they did in the past, keeping such traditions as folk dancing and festivals.

They still pray and respect the seasons and weather. Planting and eating healthy foods, they live with simplicity and prosperity. Artisans in these areas are working without any pretension of making art; they create only for pleasure and to fill their hearts with peace and happiness. It is a life where it is enough simply to be alive each day.

For me, this was a journey to what we in the West have lost – a real culture, without consumerism, focused on the roots of humanity. From it, we can learn how to understand each other, how to communicate, how we can respect our differences and walk together.

Arts and crafts

eventswest encounters east®

Upcoming Events

december, 2013

EXHIBITION

Brazil ArtFair during Miami Art WeekDuration: December 4 – 8, 2013Location: NW 36th Street (Midtown Boulevard) Miami, FL

A gateway to the biggest art consumer market in the world and a place to showcase, appreciate and encourage Brazilian galleries, generating business and rapport.

Featuring an array of talents, from renowned to emerging artists, it encompass-es modern and contemporary art as well as experimental art and cutting-edge design.

For more information about these events visit:

www.morikami.orgwww.orlandofilmfest.com/film/west-encounters-east/www.lafemme.org/festival/film-screening-times-and-dates/ 2013-documentaries-to-screen/www.nycindiefilmfest.com/shop/products/ west-encounters-east-let-s-begin-kiss-just-add-waterwww.brazilartfair.com

SCREENING

West Encounters East ®

LA Femme International Film Festival Date: October 17, 2013 – October 20, 2013Screening: October 17, 4- 6 p.m.Location: The Regal Stadium 14 LA LIVE, 1000 West Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA

SCREENING

West Encounters East ®

The Orlando Film Festival Date: October 16, 2013 – October 20, 2013Screening: October 20, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.Location: Cobb Plaza Cinema Café 12 155 South Orange Avenue Orlando, FL

SCREENING

West Encounters East ®

New York City Independent Film Festival

Date: October 18 – 20, 2013

Location: Producer’s Club 358 West 44th St. (at 9th Avenue). New York, NY

The film by Stella M. Holmes is an official selection of the New York City Independent Film Festival.

West Encounters East ®, scheduled on October 19th, takes viewers on a journey to uncover a vibrant and unique art world. It focuses on a lit-tle-known population: the Japanese Brazilians, comprising the largest population of ethnic Japanese outside of Japan itself. The documentary ex-plores the fusion of culture, history and tradition and the ongoing integration of Asian traditions into Latin American culture in the works of well-known Japanese Brazilian artists such as Tomie Ohtake, Yutaka Toyota, Takashi Fukushima, Kazuo Okubo, Catarina Gushiken and many others.

Jade

Mat

araz

zo, T

anab

ata

Fest

ival,

2012

october, 2013

EXHIBITION

Contemporary Kogei Styles in JapanDuration: October 8, 2013 – February 23, 2014Location: Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens 4000 Morikami Park Road Delray Beach, FL

Contemporary Kogei Styles in Japan, is an exhibition of approximately 90 Kogei-style artworks comprising ceramics, textiles, dolls, and works of metal, lacquer, wood, bamboo and glass created by 40 of Japan’s most influential and leading Kogei artists of international renown.

The exhibition was organized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Consulate General of Japan, Miami and the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, with the collaboration of Stella M. Holmes.

WWW.WESTENCOUNTERSEAST.COM © 2 0 1 3 W E S T E N C O U N T E R S E A S T , L L C

A FILM BY STELLA M. HOLMES

LINDA CORLEY STELLA M. HOLMESPRODUCERS L INDA CORLEY STELLA M. HOLMESWRITER ANDCO-WRITER

JORGE ALFANOMUSIC COMPOSED ANDPERFORMED BY YOSHIKO CARLTON ROBERTO PERERAGUEST

MUSICIANS STELLA M. HOLMESEXECUTIVEPRODUCER

JOEL KAPLAN GIANNI TOYOTAVIDEOGRAPHERS MICHAEL BALL RODERICK HICKS JOEL KAPLANEDITORS

W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / W E S T E N C O U N T E R S E A S T

CAROLINA LUCEROCURATORIALRESEARCH L IDIA YAMASHITARESEARCH

OPENING NIGHT

BRAZILIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF MIAMI

2013

OFFICIAL SELECTION

NYC INDEPENDENTFILM FESTIVAL

2013

OFFICIAL SELECTION

LA FEMME INTERNATIONALFILM FESTIVAL

2013

OFFICIAL SELECTION

ORLANDOFILM FESTIVAL

2013