FINDING HER BEAT

World Premiere


CREATE | MIND THE GAP | DOCS

US 2022, 88 min, Directors: Dawn Mikkelson, Keri Pickett

Right before pandemic lockdown 2020, eighteen leading Japanese and North American women taiko drummers realize their shared dream with the groundbreaking performance, HERbeat: Taiko Women All-Stars. In this full-bodied, male-dominated artform, they weave together their own joyful rhythms and styles to thunder through the taiko world and beyond. HERbeat is the brainchild of international taiko champion Tiffany Tamaribuchi, of Sacramento Taiko Dan, and Jennifer Weir, of St. Paul’s TaikoArts Midwest. With a cinema-verité style, Finding Her Beat captures the group’s pressure-cooker rehearsals as performers bridge cultural and creative differences while also fighting exhaustion and flu. Highlights include Chieko Kojima’s dance-drumming style designed for women, Kaoly Asano’s taiko as a healing force, and the presence of San Jose Taiko’s local hero PJ Hirabayashi. Relentless rhythm carries them all through the thrilling Leap Day show and heralds a new era for women in taiko. —Carol Harada

In English and Japanese with English subtitles

VIEW TRAILER

Guests expected: directors Dawn Mikkelson and Keri Pickett, producer Jennifer Weir, performers Megan Chao Smith, Tiffany Tamaribuchi, Josie Smith-Weir, re-recording Mixer Carly Zuckweiler

TAIKO ON SCREEN AND ON THE PLAZA!
Join us after the screening on Sunday afternoon for a special taiko performance of featured artists from the film and San Jose Taiko. Experience the power and joy of taiko drumming that will keep you energized all day!

SUNDAY, OCT. 9  |  2:00-2:30
Mill Valley Depot Plaza

SPONSORED BY


Showtimes

In-Person

12:00 PM — Sequoia 1

11:00 AM — Sequoia 1

Virtual

Oct 5, 11:00 PM — Oct 17, 12:00 AM Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Director

Dawn Mikkelson is a producer and director who began her directing career with This Obedience (2003). She won regional Emmys for LATE LIFE (2014) and NATURE: WALKING WITH EMERSON & THOREAU (2018), and was nominated for a third for PLANTING CREATIVITY: ARTISTS, PLACE & TRANSIT (2014). Among her other films are GREEN GREEN WATER (2007), IIN A TIME OF TRIAL (2009), and Risking Light (2018). She was a 2010 McKnight Filmmaking Fellow. Keri Pickett made her documentary directing debut with THE FABULOUS ICE AGE (2013). Her second feature, FIRST DAUGHTER AND THE BLACK SNAKE (2017), won Best MN-Made Feature Documentary at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival. She was a 2017 McKnight Foundation Fellow in the Media Arts.

Film Info

countries:

United States

Year:

2022

Running Time:

88

Languages:

English, Japanese

Director:

Dawn Mikkelson, Keri Pickett

Producers:

Jennifer Weir, Dawn Mikkelson

Cinematographers:

Keri Pickett

Cast:

Jennifer Weir, Tiffany Tamaribuchi, Chieko Kojima, Kaoly Asano, Megan Chao Smith

sections:

DOCS

Subtitles:

English

venues:

Sequoia 1
|
Virtual