The "Niji-Iro 'Rainbow' Cinema Support Project"

If you've been following me on Twitter or Facebook (my personal page and/or Loaded Films) over the past few months you know I've mentioned "Niji-Iro Cinema" (にじいろシネマ) on many occasions. Niji-Iro (literally "Rainbow-coloured") Cinema is a non-profit organization that screens free movies for survivors of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that hit Japan this March and remains an ongoing catastrophe to this day.

Niji-Iro Cinema was founded by Saitama-based home theater company Budscene this April. My wife Eiko Mizuno Gray was the first member to join the team, followed by several other core members from the world of film. Thus far, there have been approximately fifteen Niji-Iro Cinema events across Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures (Iwate is being planned). Strong distributor support from the likes of 20th Century Fox, Asmik Ace, Universal Pictures, Shochiku and Toei Video has enabled a growing library of titles as well as t-shirts and other goods.

Niji-Iro Cinema's screenings of both Hollywood and Japanese movies come complete with free popcorn made in old-school cinema popcorn machines. When possible, hot food and cold ice cream have also been provided between screenings.

Budscene made a sizable outlay in the early days to get the ball rolling, but luckily the costs of transportation up to Tohoku are now subsidized and accommodations are managed by the Niji-Iro team at each location. What we're now trying to raise money for is food. To put it another way, we want to hire food providers as a means to give back to a region where jobs are very scarce.

If you take a look at the right-hand side of the blog you'll see a widget for the "Niji-Iro 'Rainbow' Cinema Support Project" IndieGoGo campaign. There, you can find out everything you need to know about what Niji-Iro Cinema is, how the money will be used and how contributors will feel the direct, positive impact they've made. To reiterate, the Niji-Iro Cinema screenings will continue on as they have since April. This is a related support campaign focused specifically on food, drinks and other items we'd love to offer kids and everyone else who attends.

Thanks for reading and please spread the word!