Global theatrical release opens this fall
On September 1st, Abramorama will release Mr. Jimmy, a film documenting Japanese guitarist Akio Sakurai’s rise to fame as he adopted the guitar chops and persona of Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. With approval by Zeppelin themselves, the film features 30 of the band’s songs as performed by Sakurai, known professionally as Mr. Jimmy. The film was produced, directed and edited by filmmaker Peter Michael Dowd (The King of Size), who spent nearly eight years and countless trips to Japan, bringing Mr. Jimmy’s story to life.
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,” impersonating the real life Jimmy Page on stage. For 30 years, Akio recreated vintage Zeppelin concerts note-for-note in small Tokyo clubs, until the real Jimmy Page stopped by one night and changed Akio’s life forever.
Inspired by Page’s ovation, Akio quits his “salary man” job, leaving behind his family to move to Los Angeles and join the tribute band Led Zepagain. Soon cultures clash, and Akio’s idyllic vision of America meets with reality. Until Jason Bonham, son of legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, calls and invites Akio to audition, and later join his touring show Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening.
The film additionally includes pre- and post-Zeppelin songs penned by Page, such as the Yardbird’s “White Summer” and The Firm’s “Midnight Moonlight,” respectively. Surrounding these extraordinary Page and Zeppelin compositions is a bevy of blues and rock n’ roll recordings by legendary artists including Eddie Cochran, Elvis Presley, John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Reed, The Miracles, Muddy Waters, and Otis Rush.
