“Hula Girls” (2006, 108 minutes), directed by Sang-il Lee, will be screened on Friday, Sept. 28, at 7:30 p.m. at West Los Angeles United Methodist Church, 1913 Purdue Ave., Los Angeles.
Based on a true story, the film is set in 1965 in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture. With the local coal industry in decline, the planned closing of the Joban Coal Mining Company will put more than, 3,000 residents out of work, with devastating effects on the community. The town elders come up with a plan to build a Hawaiian-themed resort to exploit and promote domestic and international tourism.
Coal miners’ daughters take advantage of the once-in-a-lifetime chance to be recruited as professional hula dancers and escape their mundane and monotonous lives — and maybe end up saving their depressed mining town. The young and hopeful misfits give it their all to learn new Polynesian dance skills, grow confident together, and make their teacher and loved ones proud.
With Yasuko Matsuyuki, Yu Aoi, Etsushi Toyokawa, Junko Fuji, Shizuyo Yamazaki. Music by Jake Shimabukuro.
Parking available in church lot. Japanese film screenings on the last Friday of each month. For more information, call (310) 479-1379 or visit www.wlaumc.com.