11th annual Films of Remembrance to feature films on wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans

The Nichi Bei Foundation presents the 11th annual Films of Remembrance, a showcase of films commemorating the 80th anniversary of then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s signing of Executive Order 9066, which led to the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans in American concentration camps during WWII.

The event will be held Saturday, Feb. 26 and Sunday, Feb. 27 with online screenings and discussions with filmmakers. Films will be available through March 13, 2022.

This year’s program includes feature-length documentaries on little-known stories such as incarceration on the Hawai‘i Islands, a new one-hour documentary on the Minidoka concentration camp in Idaho, and the struggle by Native Americans, Japanese Americans and environmentalists over the former Manzanar concentration camp. They are joined by two shorts programs.

The impact of art in capturing — and interpreting — the tragedy of the wartime incarceration is examined in the collection of vivid and thoughtful shorts in the “Artistic Interpretations” shorts program — from a hopeful and imaginative animation, to an avant garde and rare glimpse into the East Coast Japanese American experience, to a spiritual journey by artistic descendants of the camps, and finally in giving voice to a noted artist and author.

The “Righting Civil Wrongs” shorts program ties the Japanese American experience to contemporary issues, from the hot-button issue of Black reparations, to the racial reckoning of America leading to the re-examination of monuments to racist icons, to the role of Japanese Americans in using our experience to safeguard the rights of others similarly targeted by racial scapegoating.

“Films of Remembrance is such an important event for the community,” stated University of California, San Diego Ethnic Studies Professor Christen Sasaki, a committee member. “It brings together multiple generations and allows us to learn from the past and explore the legacy of incarceration.”

Tickets are $15 each for the three feature length films and two shorts programs with post-film discussions. All-Event Passes are $50, and free tickets to individual programs are available to students with ID.

Proceeds benefit the Nichi Bei Foundation’s Wayne Maeda Educational Fund.

For more information, including detailed schedules, film synopses, or to order tickets or sponsor, visit: https://www.filmsofremembrance.org or e-mail programs@nichibeifoundation.org.