Reelin’ and Rockin’: Mr. Jimmy (2023)
Director: Peter Michael Dowd Run Time: 90 min. Release Year: 2023
Starring: Akio Sakurai, Junko Sakurai, Kiyomi Osawa, Rie Nakahara, Toshio Suzuki
Country: United States, Japan
Language: English, Japanese
Reelin’ and Rockin’ at Gateway Film Center
October 20, 2023 | In partnership with CD92.9, we’re bringing music back to the big screen with your favorite rock docs and films, hosted by Brian Phillips and Colin Gawel. Meet up with fellow music lovers in The Festival Lounge beginning at 7:30PM, and then join us at 9PM for the presentation.
Join us for an encore screening of the film on Wednesday, October 25 at 5PM.
Get tickets See more Reelin’ and Rockin’About the film:
World Premiere, 2019 SXSW Film Festival
In snowbound Tokamachi, Japan, teenaged Akio Sakurai took refuge in his room, escaping to another world with a pair of headphones and a pile of Led Zeppelin records. Moving to Tokyo, Akio worked as a kimono salesman by day, but by night became “Mr. Jimmy,” adopting the guitar chops and persona of Jimmy Page.
“an incredible take on identity, artistry and passion”
—David Fear, Rolling Stone
For 35 years, Akio recreated vintage Zeppelin concerts note-for-note in small Tokyo clubs, until the “real” Jimmy Page stopped by one night, and Akio’s life changed forever. Inspired by Mr. Page’s ovation, Akio quits his “salary man” job, leaving behind his family to move to Los Angeles and join “Led Zepagain.” Soon cultures clash, and Akio’s idyllic vision of America meets with reality.
About the filmmaker:
Peter Michael Dowd is a film director, producer, and editor. Hi short documentary The King of Size (2013) screened at festivals including the Austin Film Festival, the New Orleans Film Festival, and the Little Rock Film Festival, where it won the World Shorts competition. Previously, Dowd was the Curator of Film at the Museum of the Moving Image and Film Programmer at George Eastman House. He has organized film exhibitions and retrospectives for festivals including the Vienna International Film Festival and Mexico City International Contemporary Film Festival. He has written about film for publications including the New York Sun, Spirit & Flesh, and Moving Image Quarterly.
Dowd spent over eight years on his first feature, the documentary Mr. Jimmy (2023), which premiered at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival.
See our upcoming films