WHAT A GREAT NIGHT!

Hello all...been a little while since we blogged. The summer's been busy as we move on to our future projects, travel to cities to promote the film and get the DVD ready for a September release. But the highlight has to be last week's screening/concert with the legendary folk singer Noel "Paul" Stookey. As many of you know, Noel is the "Paul" in Peter, Paul and Mary. They sang some of this country's most recognizable songs like "Puff the Magic Dragon", "Blowin' in the Wind" and "If I Had a Hammer". In the 60s and 70s they inspired a whole generation of people to think about the world in a different way. They are among the greats like Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez and many, many others to come out of that era. Noel still tours and continues to tout the beliefs and values that made his group's messages so strong and enduring. Anyway, we were invited by ANA, the Japanese airline, to attend a screening in NY which we enthusiastically accepted mainly because ANA helped us while we made the film. YAY ANA! I told Noel about it and he joined us in NY to sing his "Song for Megumi" which he wrote last year after hearing the story of Megumi and her family. He performed the song in Tokyo earlier this year for Megumi's parents as well as a select group of dignitaries including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The screening last week was at the ImaginAsian Theater. The event was totally sold out with organizers turning people away at the door. Sorry to those of you who didn't get in but the DVD is coming soon! Noel sang his song beautifully despite rushing to get to the venue and nearly missing the entire affair due to flight delays. Afterwards, all three of us gave a Q&A which was a real bonus for us because we got to hear Noel talk about his inspiration for writing the song. Moreover, it was great to have someone on stage with us who supports the families and who doesn't have any particular political agenda when it comes to supporting them. Thanks Noel for a fantastic evening!