Cicada

The CCCA and Biola Screenings present:
Cicada
A Film by Dean Yamada
Discussion with the director after the film.

Cicada is the first feature-length film from Biola University’s Cinema & Media Arts program.  Professor and director Dean Yamada has traveled with students to Tokyo and Berlin to shoot a series of short films. Their work has screened at the Venice Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, and Aspen Shortsfest and won awards at the Heartland Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and Sapporo Shortfest.The time has come to take this proven model of filmmaking to the next level and shoot a feature film.

When Jumpei Taneda finds out he has a fertility problem, he begins to have clairvoyant flashes that mysteriously lead him to cicada shells. Jumpei's inability to have children causes him to become a father-figure to his sister Nanaka's young son Ryota, who is being bullied at school. Nanaka and her gambling-addict husband decide to throw a birthday party for Ryota in hopes of changing his classmates' perception of him. Unfortunately, no one shows up to the party except the quirky cast of adults in Ryota's life, and it is here that secrets are revealed and chaos ensues. The filmmakers invite you into a world filled with wonder, laughter, dysfunction and redemption. The film is in Japanese with English subtitles.

Biola Screenings is a collaborative initiative between the Center for Christianity, Culture & the Arts (CCCA) and the Cinema and Media Arts Department (CMA). The mission is to bring current independent cinema to Biola University for thoughtful reflection and discussion.

For more information: http://www.cicadathemovie.com