April 25, 2012
Project: Jimmy Murakami - Non-Alien
Tagged Animation, Irish Arts Council, Japanese American, Jimmy Murakami, Jimmy Murakami - Non Alien, Loopline Film, Oregon, Sé Merry Doyle, Tule Lake, When the Wind Blows, WW2
“Jimmy Murakami – Non Alien” has been selected for a special screening at the Disorient Film Festival in Oregon on the 28th April. Tule Lake, 
Northern California, just cross the state line of Oregon, is where the 9 year old Jimmy and his family were interned for 4 years as a result of Japans attack on Pearl Harbor. Although Jimmy went on to great success as an Animation filmmaker with classics like “Snowman” and “When the Wind Blows” he never recovered from his childhood ordeal. Jimmy turned his back on America and has been living with his family in Ireland for the last forty years.
In “Jimmy Murakami – Non Alien” he confronts his past by joining the annual pilgrimage to Tule Lake alongside other survivors and their children. Jimmy created a special series of painting for the film that capture his childhood memories of the camp. One of the high points of the film is when the paintings comes to 
life in animation and create a haunting backdrop to Jimmy’s quest to make sense of the injustice that was directed at the Japanese American citizens. The film also features an interview with Jimmy’s brother James T. Murakami who also works in the movie business, most notably as a Production Designer with Clint Eastwood. The film was acclaimed at it premier in the Dublin Film Festival and won “Directors Choice Award” at the Sacramento Film Festival.
December 4, 2011
Project: Jimmy Murakami - Non-Alien
Tagged Alan Parker, Arts Council, Documentary, Irish Film, Irish Film Board, Japanese American, Jimmy Murakami, Loopline Film, Oscars, Pearl Harbor, Raymond Briggs, Sé Merry Doyle, Snowman, Sottodiciotto Film Festival, Tule Lake, Turin, When the Wind Blows, WW2
Starting on the 15th December the wonderful Sottodiciotto Film Festival in Turin is honouring the career of the Oscar nominated Japanese American Animator, Jimmy Murakami, with a dedicated retrospective of his life’s work. Also showing is Sé Merry Doyle’s documentary “Jimmy Murakami – Non Alien” which tells the story of Jimmy’s incarceration alongside 40,000 Japanese Americans in concentration camps after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor . Jimmy is in very exalted company as Turin are also having retrospectives on Alan Parker “The Comittments”, Jaco Von Dormael, “Toto the Hero”, Marco Risi, “Maradona, the Hand of God“, Delphine Gleize “Carnage”, and Andrea Segre, “The Green Blod”. Among the films to be screened from Jimmy’s amazing catalogue are his evergreen “Snowman”, his apocalyptic nuclear war film ‘”When the Wind Blows”, Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol” plus his groundbreaking experimental works: “Breath”, “The Magic Pear Tree”, and “The Good Friend”. Jimmy who has been based in Ireland for the last forty years is delighted that Turin is honouring him with such a vast retrospective. Is it not time that Ireland followed suit as most filmmakers here would acknowledge Jimmy’s contribution in kick-starting the Irish Film Industry?
November 16, 2011
Project: Jimmy Murakami - Non-Alien
Tagged Animation, Dingle Film Festival, Dublin Film Festival, Film Festivals, Internment, Irish Arts Council, Irish documentary, Japan, Japanese American, Jimmy Murakami, Loopline Film, Merry Dance, Network Television, New York Film, New York International Film Festival, Quad Cinema, Sé Merry Doyle, When the Wind Blows, WW2
The New York International Film Festival screens Sé Merry Doyle’s film, ‘Jimmy Murakami – Non Alien’ on the 23rd November at 1pm in the Quad Cinema New York.
In this award winning feature documentary, the famous animator of ‘Snowman’ and ‘When the Wind Blows’ makes a pilgrimage back to Tule Lake Concentration Camp, where alongside his family, he was interned for four years after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The film has had several prestige screening worldwide and won the ‘Director’s Choice Award’ at the Sacramento International Film Festival.
October 5, 2011
Project: Jimmy Murakami - Non-Alien
Tagged Animation, Arts Council, Dingle Film, Dublin Film Festival, Film Ireland, IFB, Jimmy Murakami, Loopline Film, Martina Durac, Merrydance, Network TV, New Hope Film, Pearl Harbor, Scaramento Film, Sé Merry Doyle, Snowman, Tule Lake, Vanessa Gildea, When the Wind Blows, WW2
‘Jimmy Murakami – Non Alien’ screens at the Washington DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival on the 9th October. In this award winning feature documentary, the famous animator makes a pilgrimage back to Tule Lake Concentration Camp, where he was interned alongside his family for four years after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
Northern California, just cross the state line of Oregon, is where the 9 year old Jimmy and his family were interned for 4 years as a result of Japans attack on Pearl Harbor. Although Jimmy went on to great success as an Animation filmmaker with classics like “Snowman” and “When the Wind Blows” he never recovered from his childhood ordeal. Jimmy turned his back on America and has been living with his family in Ireland for the last forty years.
life in animation and create a haunting backdrop to Jimmy’s quest to make sense of the injustice that was directed at the Japanese American citizens. The film also features an interview with Jimmy’s brother James T. Murakami who also works in the movie business, most notably as a Production Designer with Clint Eastwood. The film was acclaimed at it premier in the Dublin Film Festival and won “Directors Choice Award” at the Sacramento Film Festival.
