Making a difference
Documentary director uncovers amazing tales, changes artist's life
Joe Nguyen, editor
May 24, 2007

Courtesy of Linda Hattendorf, photo by Bob Sacha Director Linda Hattendorf's "The Cats of Mirikitani" will play at the 10th Aurora Asian Film Festival at 4 p.m. on June 3 at the Aurora Fox Arts Center.

When Linda Hattendorf met artist Jimmy Mirikitani, she had no idea that both their lives would change.

“It’s still kind of a miracle to me that all this has come from a chance encounter on a New York (City) street corner over two people who like cats,” said Hattendorf, director of “The Cats of Mirikitani.”

Sometimes a chance encounter can make all the difference.

She said the two met on Jan. 1, 2001. Wrapped in blankets and coats, the then 80-year-old Mirikitani was sitting on the street, drawing pictures of cats. He gave her the drawing and asked her to take a picture of it for him. The next day she returned with her video camera and their yearlong journey began.

“Initially the camera was a tool to get to know Jimmy better,” she said.

She said she discovered that when she brought her camera and asked him to tell stories about his art, a boundless amount of tales came out.

“I learned about what happened to him during World War II in terms of internment and losing half of his family in Hiroshima,” she said. “I wanted to make the link between what had happened in the past and where he wound up today.”

Initially Hattendorf intended just on following the artist over the course of the four seasons. She said perhaps someone who watched her film would reach out to him.

“There was a time when the administration was talking about cuts from Social Security and Medicaid and I was concerned there would be more like Jimmy on the street,” she said.

In the middle of the third season, the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, occurred and Hattendorf decided that she could no longer be an observer.

“I found I was unable to just stand there taking pictures of him coughing in the smoke and I impulsively brought him home,” she said. “The story changed at that point. I wasn’t quite sure where it was going, but I just kept shooting”

The end result is a 74-minute film comprised from more than 200 hours of footage. She said she has met people from around the world who have seen the movie multiple times, drawing in some form of satisfaction.

“They get something from it that’s hard to describe,” she said. “It’s an emotional experience for everyone. They tend to want to come back and bring friends and family and experience it with others they care about.”

It has been six years since the film was shot. It seems fitting that these two met on New Year’s Day as it is a time for change. Today Mirikitani is off the streets. This past year, he had his first one-man exhibition at the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle.

“(This experience has) taught me that each of us has a lot of power to change things,” she said. “You just have to do it one person at a time.”

Joe Nguyen is the editor in chief for AsiaXpress.com. Joe can be contacted via e-mail at joe@asiaxpress.com.