Friday, May 28, 2010
6:30pm – 9:00pm
Japan Society
333 East 47th St.
New York, NY
Knowledge of the internment of Japanese-Americans following the attack on Pearl Harbor remains surprisingly low in America and Japan.
Even though bringing in cameras to the internment camps was prohibited, one man managed to smuggle in his own camera lens and build a camera to document life behind barbed wires, with the help of other craftsmen in the camp. That man was Toyo Miyatake, a successful issei (first generation immigrant) photographer and owner of a photo-shop in the Los Angeles Little Tokyo district, and of one of the many Americans who was interned with his family against his will. With his makeshift camera, Miyatake captured the dire conditions of life in the camps during World War II as well as the resilient spirit of his companions, many of whom were American citizens who went on to fight for their country overseas. Miyatake said, “It is my duty to record the facts, as a photographer, so that this kind of thing should never happen again.” Suzuki’s documentary carries on the legacy of Miyatake’s photography, addressing the historical context of the internment as well as the stories of other Japanese-Americans who were touched by this unfortunate chapter in American history.
Screening followed by Q&A with special guests writer/director Junichi Suzuki and actor George Takei, and a cocktail reception.
2009, 98 min., color, in English and Japanese with English subtitles. Directed by Junichi Suzuki. With Archie Miyatake, George Takei, Daniel Inouye.
TICKETS
This event is free, but registration is required:
For more information or to RSVP, please contact Joel N. Anderson at 212-715-1216 or RSVP to film@japansociety.org.
More info:
http://www.japansociety.org/event_detail?eid=1a630706