Meridian Hill Pictures

Hidden Books: The Art of Kumi Korf is a new documentary about artist Kumi Korf, who was born in Japan and now lives in Ithaca, N.Y. Kumi is a multi-disciplinary artist whose mediums include architectural design, printmaking, painting, paper-making and artists’ books. Whether Kumi is painting, printing, or bookmaking, she feels a strong desire to reach some place, “home” perhaps, where she is allowed to feel shamelessly nostalgic. In the film, Kumi explains that “home”, in this case, is a place where an accumulation of different memories is stored. For Kumi, memories are shapeless and without words. They belong to the universe: they are millions of years old. All kinds of nostalgia are accumulated there, and are free to be shamelessly beautiful, like constellations in a moonless night on a remote island.  The documentary gives a unique perspective on Kumi’s life as an artist, and how the world around her influences her work.

The Picturehouse event will feature a screening of the film followed by a facilitated discussion with Hidden Books director Sam Hampton. Sam is an active member of the Washington DC-area documentary filmmaking community, serving as Director of Operations for the Silver Spring-based non-profit Docs In Progress. In addition to producing his own films, Sam has dedicated his career to empowering independent documentary filmmakers and educating the public about documentary as an art form. In 2011, Sam received the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award as Director for “Hidden Books – The Art of Kumi Korf.”

To view the trailer and see more information about “Hidden Books – The Art of Kumi Korf,” visit http://www.hiddenbooksmovie.com/.

Check out photos from the Picturehouse event here: