Movie & Bites | Kampai! For the Love of Sake

Just in time for the holidays, come discover the rich history of Japan’s favorite celebratory spirit: sake. In this installment of “Movie & Bites,” a combined screening and culinary event featuring acclaimed works in Japanese film and television, JAPAN HOUSE LA presents “Kampai! For the Love of Sake”, a documentary exploring sake through the people who have made it their obsession. The screening will be followed by a conversation between the film’s director Mirai Konishi and a local sake sommelier, as well as a tasting of sake and light appetizers. Through this event, participants will be able to develop their sake palate, and perhaps be inspired to add sake to spice up their own holiday gatherings this year – no Japanese end-of-year or New Year’s party would be the same without it.

More about “Kampai! For the Love of Sake”

Sake, often called “Japanese rice wine,” is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice and has a wide range of flavor, consistency and price. This special drink has a long, deep history rooted in Japanese culture, but outside of Japan, as a specialty drink, it’s still not well understood. For many international diners, sake remains a mystery; a beautiful, tasty clear liquid that only has two questions to answer when ordering. Dry or sweet; and hot or cold? But of course, to a true gourmets and aficionado sake is so much more than that.

In this film’s fascinating look at the universe of sake, three outsiders; a British sake brewer with 25 years of experience in Japan, an American journalist who has published multiple guidebooks on sake, and the young president of a centuries-old Japanese sake brewery who wants to make changes to his family legacy, join together to explore the mysterious world of sake illustrating how these unique individuals each have a role to play in the rich, complex, and spectacular world of sake.

*This event is for 21+. Sake and holiday finger foods will be served. Not suitable for vegans as appetizers may include meat and cheese.

Registration

Registration has closed.

Director's Profile

Mirai Konishi | Director/Producer/Editor
Mirai Konishi, a journalist and filmmaker, grew up in Japan and studied film at the University of Southern California (USC). Mirai’s short films have screened at numerous film festivals, to be included at Short Shorts Film Festival for BLIND (1999) and Tokyo Fantastic Film Festival for CLOSE TO YOU (2003). His feature debut documentary, KAMPAI! FOR THE LOVE OF SAKE (2015) premiered at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, and went on to the Tokyo International Film Festival and Hawaii International Film Festival, among others. Mirai is also a journalist specializing in cinema and contributes to the Japanese publications Roadshow and Cut. In 2012, he was honored by an invitation to join the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. His most recent directing work is KAMPAI! SAKE SISTERS (2019).