HUNTINGTON BEACH — The City of Huntington Beach and the Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force present the Orange County premiere of “Lil Tokyo Reporter” on the weekend of Nov. 17-18 at the Charter Centre Cinemas, 7822 Warner Ave. (at Beach Boulevard) in Huntington Beach.
Showtimes are Saturday at 5 and 6 p.m. and Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Q&A with the filmmakers will follow each screening. Admission is $9 general, $7 for seniors and students. Tickets can be purchased online at www.regencymovies.com.
A reception will held on Nov. 17 from 8 to 10 p.m. in the West Coast Club Room of the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort, 21100 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach. Suggested donation is $20. Proceeds will benefit the Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force.
The task force is dedicated to preserving what is left of Wintersburg, a small agricultural community established in the late 1800s. It tells the story of old California, Orange County agriculture, and California’s Japanese Americans. For more information, visit www.historicwintersburg.blogspot.com.
The short film, which had its premiere in Pasadena in September, is based on the life of Sei Fujii, founder of The Kashu Mainichi and a Japanese American community advocate who helped found the Japanese Hospital and challenged California’s Alien Land Law. It focuses on a confrontation between Fujii (played by Academy Award winner Chris Tashima) and a criminal element in Little Tokyo.
The cast includes Eijiro Ozaki, Ikuma Ando, Keiko Agena and Sewell Whitney. The film was directed by Jeffrey Gee Chin, produced by Mayon Denton and Michael Iinuma, and executive produced by Fumiko Carole Fujita. For more information, visit http://ltreporter.com or www.facebook.com/liltokyoreporter.