‘Little Tokyo: Adjacent’ Screening at 341 FSN

Naomi Hirahara (right) working on her 1986 documentary “No Vacancy.”

The fourth and last installment of “Little Tokyo: Adjacent,” part of Visual Communications’ “Centering the Masses” series, will be held on Wednesday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m. at 341 FSN, 341 E. First St. in Little Tokyo.

Two short films will be screened:

• “Something’s Rotten in Little Tokyo” (1977, 41 minutes), directed by Visual Communications (project directors: Duane Kubo and Eddie Wong). A VC staff production that indicts the social and market-driven forces that conspire to displace low-income Little Tokyo residents from the only homes and community they knew.

• “No Vacancy” (1986, 10 minutes), directed by Naomi Hirahara. A VC-produced documentary that profiles two Asian American middle-aged men who face the depletion of low-cost housing, forcing them to find ways to survive in Downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo and Chinatown. This documentary is a poignant view of a segment of Asian American underclass rarely talked about.

Free admission. Capacity is limited. Informal seating is available on a first come, first served basis.

“Centering the Masses,” a series of free pop-up events and programs, brings together artists, cultural workers, entertainment professionals, and civic personalities to celebrate and explore all the ways that motion pictures and media artworks impact our lives. Through intimate conversation, screenings, and visual art presentations, this project is a space to address the current realities of a community that sits at the crossroads of shifting racial, generational, and economic conditions.

The series continues until May 30. For more information, visit http://vcmedia.org/centerthemass.