Cutie and the Boxer is a film about the art and marriage of two artists  - Noriko and Ushio Shinohara  - presented free on by First Tuesday Social Justice films. (R for nude art images; 82 minutes, 2013)   Refreshments provided.  Audience discussion follows.  https://youtu.be/4YVezjywsJU http://www.firsttuesdayfilms.org/images/cutie_and_the_boxer.jpg

“Once a rising star in the '70's New York art scene, 80-year-old "boxing" painter Ushio Shinohara is prepping for his latest show, hoping to reinvigorate his career. His wife and de facto assistant, Noriko, seeks her own recognition through her "Cutie" illustrations, which depict their chaotic 40-year marriage.

"Cutie and the Boxer captures two lives united by a dedication to art-making for a touching meditation on the eternal themes of love and sacrifice,” according to Rotten Tomatoes.  The documentary was written and directed by Zachary Heinzerling.

“Noriko and Ushio Shinohara are as animated in real life as they appeared in the documentary that was made about them. The film, Cutie and the Boxer, was nominated for an Academy Award last year. It also has a local connection. Patrick Burns, who grew up in Irving and graduated from Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas, was one of the producers,” wrote Deborah Fleck of the Dallas Morning News.

The film and the director have won a number of awards:

*Won 2013 Sundance Film Festival "Best Director Award” "It's rare to see a film so beautifully crafted in all aspects. It captures the complex nature of love and art in a mesmerizing and deeply human way." The film was nominated for Grand Jury Prize for the film during the same festival.

*Won second place in Audience Awards during the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival

*Earned Special mention in Grierson Award during the 2013 London Film Festival with the citation: "For the original and creative way in which the filmmakers crafted an intimate portrait of a relationship."

*Won "Charles E. Guggenheim Emerging Artist Award" for the Director

*Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 86th Academy Awards.

This presentation is co-sponsored by the UUCOC’s Social Justice Ministry and the Dallas Peace Center.  For more information about the film series, visit http://www.firsttuesdayfilms.org/index.shtml or http://www.facebook.com/firsttuesdayfilms.