KANO

嘉農

Directed by Umin Boya

Asia Pop! / Taiwan / 2014 / drama, historical, sports / 185 mins / Hakka, Japanese, Taiwanese with Chinese, English subtitles / DCP / West Coast Premiere

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KANO

UCSD Calit2 Atkinson Hall Auditorium
Fri, Nov. 7, 2014 6:45 pm

KANO

UltraStar Mission Valley
Wed, Nov. 12, 2014 6:40 pm Buy Tickets

Description

Audience Award, 2014 Osaka Asian Film Festival
Audience Award, 2014 Taipei Film Festival
Official Selection, 2014 New York Asian Film Festival
Best Picture Nominee, 2014 Golden Horse Awards

Koshien. Some refer to it as the Japanese High School Baseball Championship. But for every young baseball player in Japan, reaching Koshien is the ultimate dream. In the 1930s, when Taiwan was a colony of Japan, Koshien was also the dream of the hapless, multi-ethnic high school baseball team from Chiayi known as Kano. When a new coach reluctantly takes over, he turns the team and their entire town into believers that this winless team can reach a place they never thought possible. Koshien.

KANO is a true underdog sports tale that hits all the right beats without ever being predictable. And while the story would be nothing without the team, the true ace of this film is baseball itself. Even with its baseball-appropriate three-hour runtime, the suspense and drama are palpable throughout, with each subsequent game becoming more heart-pounding than the last. The climactic game alone puts KANO into the conversation as one of the greatest baseball films ever. Highlighted by an MVP performance from newcomer Tsao Yu-ning, KANO reminds us what we can achieve with hard work, a common goal, and a dream. Kano for the world! –James Paguyo

Co-presented by: Taiwanese American Professionals – SD, Taiwan Center, SD Alliance for Asian Pacific Islander Americans