Cinematheque108, Japan Film Society and Dream On invite you and a guest to a special screening of

Cast Me If You Can

About Cast Me If You Can

Hiroshi is an actor who always plays supporting roles and lives in the shadow of his famous playwright father, Kenta. Hiroshi has the virtue of being helpful to strangers, but as a result, like a chameleon, he is always mistaken for someone else: a sales clerk, a policeman, and even a kidnapper. Both at work and at home, Hiroshi struggles daily with his marginalized existence.
 
One day, luck changes.  Hiroshi gets cast in a Woody Allen remake. He meets his muse Aya, an energetic aspiring actress, who doesn't mistake him for anyone else. Hiroshi falls for Aya head over heels. With tips from his younger colleague, Tomo, Hiroshi tries to make a move for Aya. But Hiroshi is his own worst enemy for getting a date, or keeping the lead role...
 
A sweet, subtle romantic comedy for all generations that will leave you smiling…

Provided courtesy of Dream On. Not Rated. Running time: 97 minutes. In Japanese, with English subtitles.

To learn more about the film and to view the trailer, click here.

 

Photographs courtesy of 2010 Dream On Productions ©

Director's Statement

Reflecting my own bi-cultural upbringing, Cast Me If You Can was developed bilingually and bi-culturally, so that it can be enjoyed both by Americans and Japanese together.    
 
The original inspiration was (1) an image I had in my mind of the lead actor (who also acted in my previous film) running around Tokyo wearing a police uniform and (2) my humorous relationship with my own father.
 
I also wanted to portray a variety of characters of different ages interacting with each other, misunderstanding each other and supporting each other, even if the world around them wasn’t always as welcoming.
 
To make the film even more personal, I added a quirky side of my own life.  As the protagonist Hiroshi, I also get mistaken for other people all the time: a gas station attendant, store manager, repairman, head bouncer, parent, husband, woman, Iranian film director, Filipino tourist, Peruvian runaway, random blind date, PA on my own film set?!

-- Atsushi Ogata

About the Guests

ATSUSHI OGATA (Writer, Director)

Atsushi Ogata has worked in Holland, Germany, Japan, and the US as a film director, script-writer, video artist, and actor. He is a graduate of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Advanced Visual Studies. Ogata has been a fellow at the Academy of Media Arts (Kunsthochschule fuer Medien) in Cologne, Germany, and has received funding from ZDF German national public television, Nordrhein Westfalen Film Fund (Germany), and the Dutch National Film Fund for his screenplays.

Eternally Yours, Ogata’s latest short film, was selected for the prestigious New Directors/New Films Festival 2007 in New York at the MOMA & the Lincoln Center. It won Film Awards at the Bangkok, the Moondance, and at the Boston International Film Festival and has been screened at numerous international festivals in Berlin, Sao Paolo, Los Angeles and others. Cast Me If You Can (Wakiyaku Monogatari) is Ogata’s feature film debut.

ERIKO MIYAGAWA (Producer)

Eriko Miyagawa has worked in production, casting, and art direction on numerous internationally acclaimed films including Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Lost in Translation, Babel, The Kite Runner and The Flowers of War. She is MFA candidate for The Peter Stark Producing Program at USC School of Cinematic Arts.

About Japan Film Society

The Japan Film Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded to promote Japanese film and culture in the United States. JFS is an all-volunteer network of artists, business people, and film lovers who share an appreciation for the diverse world of Japanese cinema. Together, we aspire to showcase the work of Japanese filmmakers and non-Japanese artists inspired by Japanese cinema and culture. We organize screenings of Japanese films and other events throughout the year in Los Angeles, and in November of 2011 we launched the LA EigaFest, an annual Japanese film festival, at the Chinese Theatres in Hollywood.  HP: www.japanfilmsociety.org  LA EigaFest: laeigafest.com  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JapanFilmSociety

About Cinematheque108

Cinematheque108 is an alternative screening series sponsored by the Critical Studies Department at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. The series offers a rare selection of events that highlight noteworthy experimental, documentary, and/or foreign films, many of which can not be seen anywhere else. Cinematheque108 is an educational forum that aims to expand understanding of alternative film and media. All screenings are free of charge and open to the pubic.

About Parking

The USC School of Cinematic Arts is located at 900 W. 34th St., Los Angeles, CA 90007. Parking passes may be purchased for $8.00 at USC Entrance Gate #5, located at the intersection of W. Jefferson Blvd. & McClintock Avenue. We recommend parking in outdoor Lot M or V, or Parking Structure D, at the far end of 34th Street. Please note that Parking Structure D cannot accommodate tall vehicles such as SUVs. Metered parking is also available along Jefferson Blvd.

Contact Information

Name: Alessandro Ago
Email: aago@cinema.usc.edu