The Nichi Bei Foundation Presents the eighth annual …
A one-day film showcase commemorating the signing of Executive Order 9066, which set the wheels in motion to forcibly relocate some 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry into American concentration camps during World War II.
Screenings • Discussion with Filmmakers • DVD & Book Sales
DATE: Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019
TIME: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Filmmakers Reception 8-9 p.m.
WHERE: New People Cinema
1746 Post St., San Francisco’s Japantown
TICKETS: Order Early! Seating is Limited
All-Day Passes are now SOLD OUT!
• FREE for 11 a.m. Special Presentation
• $12 each for first three screenings
SHOWCASE FILM IS SOLD OUT — e-mail office@nichibeiweekly.org for waiting list
(Nichi Bei Members and Students with ID: $10 each for first three screenings)
FOR FILMMAKER BIOGRAPHIES CLICK HERE
Featuring…
11 a.m. — Voices of Resistance: FREE Multimedia Presentation with author Arthur A. Hansen
Dr. Arthur A. Hansen will present a free multimedia presentation of his two new books, “Nisei Naysayer: The Memoir of Militant Japanese American Journalist Jimmie Omura” and “Barbed Voices: Oral History, Resistance, and the World War II Japanese American Social Disaster.” We will show clips from “Conscience and the Constitution” and “Rabbit in the Moon,” — the landmark award-winning documentary produced 20 years ago by Emiko and Chizu Omori — to bring out the voices of resistance from Jimmie Omura and “Manzanar Martyr” Harry Ueno. To be followed by a book signing.
Among the fiercest opponents of the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II was journalist James “Jimmie” Matsumoto Omura. In his sharp-penned columns, Omura fearlessly called out leaders in the Japanese American community for what he saw as their complicity with the U.S. government’s unjust and unconstitutional policies — particularly the federal decision to draft imprisoned Nisei into the military without first restoring their lost citizenship rights.
“Barbed Voices” is an engaging anthology of the most significant published articles written by Hansen, updated and annotated for contemporary context. Featuring selected inmates and camp groups who spearheaded resistance movements in the ten War Relocation Authority–administered compounds in the United States during World War II.
Arthur A. Hansen is emeritus professor of history, founding director of the Japanese American Project of the Oral History Program and the Center for Oral and Public History, and founding faculty member of the Asian American Studies Program at California State University, Fullerton. He was Senior Historian at the Japanese American National Museum and received the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Asian American Studies in 2007 and the Sue Kunitomi Embrey Legacy Award from the Manzanar Committee in 2014. He was a historical consultant for both “Rabbit in the Moon” and “Conscience and the Constitution.”
• With discussion to be moderated by filmmaker Satsuki Ina, Ph.D., followed by a book signing.
12:35 p.m. — History Rediscovered Shorts Program
“Three Boys Manzanar”
(2016, 7 min.) by Preeti Mankar Deb with Executive Producer Akemi Ooka
In the film “Three Boys Manzanar,” the “boys” from the iconic photograph “Boys Behind Barbed Wire” come together for the first time since their incarceration during World War II. The film captures first hand their experience of sharing their journey with their loved ones.
“The Crystal City”
(2018, 13 min.) by Kenya Gillespie
From 1942-1948 in the remote desert town of Crystal City, Texas, the U.S. government operated a little-known WWII internment camp, which held Japanese, German, and Italian prisoners from the U.S. and Latin America. It was the only family internment camp and the headquarters of a secret prisoner exchange program. Combining present-day and archival footage, “The Crystal City” explores the physical remains of the camp and the memories of internee survivors. We learn of the pain that befell internee families, the lives that were lost, and the lives that could have been.
“Beyond the Barbed Wire: Japanese Americans in Minnesota”
(2018, 40 min.) by Ka Wong, Hikari Sugisaki and Paul Sullivan
Beyond the Barbed Wire (Official Trailer) from Ka Wong on Vimeo.
“Beyond the Barbed Wire: Japanese Americans in Minnesota” presents the unique experiences of Japanese Americans who came to the North Star State as a result of the Pacific War. Approximately 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were forced into American concentration camps after Pearl Harbor. Some of them relocated to and restarted their lives in Minnesota after the war. This was largely because of higher education, of which many liberal arts colleges were part, and military service, as the second-generation Japanese Americans (Nisei) attended the Military Intelligence Service Language School (MIS) at Camp Savage and then Fort Snelling. Exploring this emotional and challenging chapter in one of the darkest moments of 20th-century American history, this documentary hopes to foster a more informed and rational dialogue on issues of race, xenophobia, immigration, and nationalism, which remains timely and even urgent today.
• With post-film discussion featuring filmmakers Preeti Mankar Deb, Kenya Gillespie and Hikari Sugisaki to be moderated by KTVU-Fox 2 Reporter Jana Katsuyama.
2:30 p.m. — Americanism is in the Heart Shorts Program
“American”
(2018, 18 min.) by Richie Adams
A 94-year-old veteran (George Takei) who volunteers at the Japanese American National Museum encounters a mother and her young daughter, triggering events that happened in his past, including his time as a young man in a wartime concentration camp and later serving with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in WWII.
“An American Hero: Frank Nishimura”
(2016, 23 min.) by Shannon Gee
This animated short film tells the story of World War II veteran Frank Nishimura and is based on the graphic novel “Fighting for America: Nisei Soldiers,” written by Lawrence Matsuda and illustrated by Matt Sasaki. Frank grew up in Seattle where his family ran hotels, including the Puget Sound Hotel. With Executive Order 9066, which set in motion the expulsion of Japanese Americans from the West Coast, the Nishimuras moved to Eastern Washington avoiding imprisonment. Frank volunteered to join the U.S Army as part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team/100th Battalion, where he made new friends and strong connections. Frank saw heavy combat in France and Italy and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star among others. He was later awarded the French National Order of the Legion of Honor and the Congressional Gold Medal.
“Mr. Tanimoto’s Journey”
(2018, 27 min.) by Jesse Dizard
The Tule Lake Segregation Center eventually was home to over 18,000 people, and was the largest town in California north of Sacramento in 1943. Many of those imprisoned at Tule Lake were either naturalized American citizens, or were born in the United States to parents who had legally immigrated to this country. Tule Lake was the facility to which the War Relocation Authority transferred those individuals it deemed “disloyal” or “troublemakers” from any of the other nine prison camps. They were also forced to stand before a firing squad in the middle of the night. Jim Tanimoto is the last living member of a group of men known as the Block 42 resisters at the Tule Lake Segregation Center, who protested the loss of their constitutional rights. This is his story.
• With post-film discussion with filmmakers Richie Adams, Shannon Gee and Jesse Dizard, as well as Jim Tanimoto, to be moderated by San Francisco State University Asian American Studies Professor Christen Sasaki, Ph.D.
4:45 p.m. — “The Registry”
(2018, 56 min.) by Bill Kubota and Steve Ozone
Thereʼs little doubt the 7,000 soldiers of the Military Intelligence Service helped shorten World War II by as much as two years. They were fluent in Japanese. They were interrogators, interpreters, and linguists. But who were they? With documents classified and buried in government vaults, historians struggled to tell the MIS story. “The Registry” profiles veterans Seiki Oshiro and Grant Ichikawa and other vets who help tell the unitʼs story. The film provides a glimpse into the last years of the lives of a few men who made up America’s “greatest generation,” and who in a few short years will all be gone. While “The Registry” is historical, it is not a history lesson. It is an exploration of the relationship between parent and child and how those experiences are passed on to the next generation.
• With post-film discussion featuring filmmakers Bill Kubota and Steve Ozone.
6:30 p.m. — Showcase Film: “Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066” (Northern California Premiere):
(2019, 65 min.) by Jon Osaki
festival trailer from Jon Osaki on Vimeo.
“Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066” is a documentary feature film about the false information and political influences which led to the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans. “Alternative Facts” sheds light on the people and politics which influenced the signing of the infamous Executive Order 9066, that authorized the mass incarceration of nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans. The film will reveal the lies used to justify the decision and the cover-up that went all the way to the United States Supreme Court. “Alternative Facts” will also examine the parallels to the current climate of fear, attitudes towards immigrant communities, and similar attempts to abuse the powers of the government. • With post-film discussion featuring Director Jon Osaki, Consulting Producer Lauren Kawana, Attorney Don Tamaki and Joseph Tsuboi to be moderated by filmmaker Dianne Fukami. Yuri Saito • Reiko Iwanaga • Kinjiro Nakatogawa • Yone Shintaku • Geri and John Handa • Ron Onizuka • Marian K. Uchida • Bill Sato • Sharon Senzaki • Mary Ann Furuichi • Art & Gloria Imagire • Edith Moriguchi Horner, C.P.A. • Roy Ikeda • Grace Morizawa • Ted Kitayama • Lisa Sakata (in memory of Michael Sakata)
8 to 9 p.m.: Filmmakers Reception
Featuring Q&A with filmmakers, food, drinks and entertainment by special guest artists Dr. Amanda Kemp (spoken word), Dr. Michael Jamanis (violin) and Francis Wong (saxophone) of Theatre for Transformation and Okinawan music by Wesley Ueunten.
Major Funding Provided By Presenting Sponsors:
Platinum Sponsors:
Dr. Himeo Tsumori & Family
The Richard E. & Yuko Benedetti Charitable Gift Fund
Gold Sponsors:
Gerry & Gail Nanbu
Kitagawa & Chee Family
Dale Nakahara & Alan Matsui
Alice & Mark Taguma
Silver Sponsors:
Takahashi Market
Michael Kurihara
Rina Hirai
Dianne Fukami & Gerry Nakano
Yoshiko & Kenneth Ho
Co-Presenters of “Alternative Facts”:
Osaki Family
Twila Tomita & Andy Noguchi
Kenny Tsuboi
Bronze Sponsors:
Media Sponsor:
Proceeds benefit the:
Sponsorship opportunities available!
MORE INFORMATION:
Please contact programs@nichibeifoundation.org
