The Mushroom Club

Director: Steven Okazaki

Running Time: 35min.

Official Film Website: http://www.farfilm.com 

Film Synopsis: Filmmaker Steven Okazaki revisits a theme he first explored 25 years ago - the destruction and horror left after the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The film’s subjects include a 90 year-old survivor who collects the melted glass and metal that washes ashore in Hiroshima. Both a frightening look into what happened to the people of Hiroshima after the atomic blast. It’s an expedition into personal reflection and paints a scary portrait of the city bombings. The survivors live on but are still suffering from that one dreaded day in history. The people who did survive the blast came away with severe burns, physical disfigurements, and even problems with everyday activities. It recalls the myths and monuments to its survivors and the political shockwaves Japan still to this day struggles through.

Steven Okazaki is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker for Days Of Waiting (1990). His diverse archive includes children’s films, documentaries, and independent features. In 1999, he made the powerful HBO documentary Black Tar Heroin: The Dark End of the Street, a cinema-verite chronicle of the lives of five young heroin addicts. It was nominated for an Emmy and was one of HBO’s highest rated televised documentaries.

Final Cinematic Thought: ‘Okazaki is one of the best filmmakers out there his stunning film The Mushroom Club is one to be remembered for years to come.’

Daniel Berman, Newton Magazine

On A Note Of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin

Directors: Corinne Marrinan & Eric Simonson

Running Time: 40min.

Film Synopsis: Norman Corwin can be best described as the Edward R. Murrow of radio. He made such an impact on American culture with his broadcast of “On A Note Of Triumph” on V-E Day, May 8^th, 1945. This film is an examination of what many people consider the greatest radio presentation in the history of the medium, and how it remains eerily prescient in light of today’s news and events. Corwin won an Oscar nomination for his script for Lust for Life, a biography of the renowned painter Van Gogh.

Movie Note: This year film director George Clooney came out with his astonishing docudrama on the legendary Edward R. Murrow called Good Night, and Good Luck which is up for multi-nominations in several award categories at the Oscars.

Final Cinematic Thought: ‘Corwin deserves to be up there with such greats as Murrow. It’s an exploration into the world of broadcast radio. Where Murrow became a figure in TV news Corwin did for millions of radio listeners across the country.’

Daniel Berman, Newton Magazine   

Eric Simonson is a Tony-award winning member of the famed Chicago theater group, Steppenwolf. He was previously nominated for an Oscar for 2000’s On Tiptoe, a profile of the music group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. 

Sources: Academy Award Nominated Short Subject Documentaries evening program guide.

[Author’s Biography]

Daniel Berman has been part of the media since 1997 when he collaborated as co-editor of the entertainment publication The Voicemakers. He currently serves as film critic for publications including Newton and Brookline Magazines, and is a columnist for the Behind The Camera newsletter. Daniel is also host and executive producer of a television program called A Time To Review for Brookline Access Television. He also served as Film Critic for publications like Our Town Brookline.     

See the Academy Awards Sunday, March 5^th, 2006 8pm.