SUU alumna Mitsuyo Miyazaki’s “Where We Begin” premieres in Cedar City

At Southern Utah University on Friday, Sept. 25, as part of SUU’s Homecoming week celebration, a new short film by SUU alumna Mitsuyo Miyazaki, “Where We Begin,” will be premiered. The screening, followed by a question and answer session with Miyazaki, will take place in the Sterling Church Auditorium in SUU’s Sharwan Smith Center at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, and the general public is invited to attend.

“Where We Begin” is 19 minutes long and was filmed locally in 2014 in and around Cedar City using SUU faculty, students, and community members, including Kay Andersen, the chair of SUU’s Department of Theatre Arts and Dance who also served as the film’s choreographer. Chosen as an Official Selection for New York’s prestigious Tribeca Film Festival, “Where We Begin,” follows the life of Sophia who is near her end and looking back at her life.

For a preview of the film, visit the director’s website.

Originally from Osaka Japan, Mitsuyo Miyazaki has extensive professional background as an actor, dancer, singer and photographer. Miyazaki acquired her Bachelor of Science degree in theatre arts, dance performance, and fine arts. With a love of the arts and a creative mind geared toward storytelling, Miyazaki entered into cinematography as a writer and director. Miyazaki has created short films, commercials, and web content series for companies such as Lexus International, Subaru, and The Weinstein Company. She often visits schools and universities to share her experience with students from multi-cultural backgrounds. Miyazaki says that she believes in the power of visual communication and that it changes society and the minds of the people.

During her visit to SUU, Miyazaki will lead theatre arts and dance students in several workshops dealing with movement composition and the audition process for film. In addition to the screening, Mitsuyo Miyazaki is being honored as Outstanding Alumna at the annual alumni banquet during homecoming week.