Multi-Award-Winning Film Tracks 5 World-Renowned Taiko Drumming Divas Overturning the Traditional Japanese Art Form, Once the Sole Domain of Male Drummers

AFTER LANDING ON MAJOR ONLINE STREAMING PLATFORMS IN 2024, “FINDING HER BEAT” DOCUMENTARY MADE IN THE TWIN CITIES IS COMING TO TPT AND NATIONAL PBS TV STATIONS

TWIN CITIES – November 1, 2024 – And the Beat goes on! Finding Her Beat – the thundering, multi-award-winning film that tracks 5 world-renowned Taiko drumming divas overturning the traditional Japanese art form that was once the sole domain of male drummers – will get yet another life on TV screens on Twin Cities PBS (TPT) in the Twin Cities in early 2025 and on PBS affiliates across the country starting November 1, 2024. According toTPT, the film’s Presenting Station, Finding Her Beat will be seen in over 75% of U.S. households once rolled out in the new year across 42 states, 121 markets and 183 channels.

Originally shot in the Twin Cities at the onset of COVID-19 in spring 2020 with an international array of female Taiko drummers and a rousing sold-out performance at The Ordway in St. Paul, the dynamic movie earned its way onto international streaming platforms, Amazon Prime, Google Play and Tubi, early in 2024. The film was co-directed by Dawn Mikelson (Minnesota Mean, Risking Light, The Red Tail) and Keri Pickett (First Daughter and the Black Snake, The Fabulous Ice Age). who also served as Director of Photography. Prior to that, it played over 80 film fests and won numerous Film Festival awards, with one New York critic calling it in Film Threat “One of the year’s most engaging and captivating documentaries!”

Due to viewer requests at screenings over the past two years for the full concert performance, that electrifying event is now also available at Vimeo on Demand as these rock star Taiko drummers, Tiffany Tamaribuchi, Kaoly Asano, Chieko Kojima, Megan Chao-Smith, and Jennifer Weir bring their explosive talents to the stage and now numerous large and small screens.

See the trailer and find where to watch the film here

“We are so excited to see this compelling film about Taiko drumming and women artists standing up to be recognized gain yet more momentum,” says Jennifer Weir, Executive Director of TaikoArts Midwest, a seasoned Taiko drummer herself, and the film’s Producer. “With Twin Cities PBS (TPT) as the Presenting Station, thousands of more viewers here and nationwide will discover the power of Taiko and the compelling stories of 5 courageous women empowering themselves through this ancient Japanese art. We expect Twin Cities audiences will get their chance to watch the movie in March during ‘Women’s History Month.’”

For more information – or to interview Jennifer Weir of TaikoArts Midwest, or the film’s Directors Dawn Mikkelson and Keri Pickett about Finding Her Beat coming to PBS stations– please contact Martin Keller, Media Savant Communications, 612-220-6515, mkeller@mediasaavantcom.com, @mediasavant.

*MORE ABOUT THE FINDING HER BEAT DOCUMENTARY FILM

Finding Her Beat is produced by Emergence Pictures in partnership with TaikoArts Midwest, with production funding provided by: Blue Cross Blue Shield Minnesota, The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, the Minneapolis Foundation, and the Raymond J Christensen Foundation. Additional cinematography includes work by Shiho Fukada  (“Mosaic Street”), Caroline Mariko Stucky  (“Caissa”), and Dawn Mikkelson; with original music by Me-Lee Hay  (“Better Watch Out,” “Last Tree Standing”) and edited by Dawn Mikkelson, Sam Kaiser (“Road to Damascus,” “Inside”), Keri Pickett , and Carrie Shanahan (“Irv de Toilette,” Goodbye Hello”).

THE BACK STORIES

In the dead of a Minnesota winter right before the world shut down for a global pandemic, Asian drumming stars from around the world met to perform, smash gender roles, and redefine power on their own terms. “Finding Her Beat” dives into the rhythms and struggles that lead to an electrifying historic performance that changes everything.

Amidst a frozen Minnesota winter, a Japanese drum master and a Korean adoptee from North Dakota now living in the Twin Cities (Jennifer Weir) join forces to assemble the world’s greatest Taiko drummers in a bold effort to claim a cultural spotlight that has historically been reserved only for men.

Through grueling rehearsals, the filmmakers weave together their disparate voices and styles as vulnerability, pain, and joys are shared—and we quickly see bonds of friendship form as these talented women navigate through differences in culture, age, language, and performance styles. As the clock ticks toward their first performance, it becomes clear that their story has become much larger than Taiko.

“Finding Her Beat” was made by a predominantly female/non-binary, largely Asian American and LGBTQ+ filmmaking team and cast during a time when people of marginalized genders and people of color are severely underrepresented in film. 

**More About TaikoArts Midwest

TaikoArts Midwest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to producing, promoting, and presenting artistic excellence in taiko arts and to using taiko to build and strengthen community. They produced the HERbeat concert and are leading a $4M campaign to create a new international taikocenter.  http://www.taikoartsmidwest.org

“This film is a love letter to all visionary artists who deserve a global spotlight. It’s magical and energizing to see a screen filled with powerful Asian women.” — Jennifer Weir

Martin Keller, Media Savant Communications

612-220-6515
mkeller@mediasavantcom.com