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DIGITAL HISTORIES 2020

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8 films in package
A HERO'S HERO
Uncle and nephew with shared convictions and extraordinary lives: Yosh Kuromiya spent time in prison for resisting the draft during incarceration. Nephew Kiyoshi Kuromiya, a pioneering civil rights activist in the African American and gay communities, remains an unsung hero's hero.
DEAR SALLY
In 1953, a young man in Los Angeles wrote to a girl in Saint Louis. The letters between the pen-pals evolved into a courtship that spanned over four years.
FRANCIS WONG CHINATOWN REVOLUTIONARY: MAX ROACH, BEBOP & CHOW MEIN
Chinese bigotry rises everyday in this pandemic, with daily assaults against Chinese. Inspired by Black History, Francis Wong, a San Francisco activist jazz saxophone player, co-founded Asian Improv aRTS with Jon Jang, plays music, standing against oppression and struggles of yesterdays with the symmetry of hope and dreams of a better tomorrow.
JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL
There is only one war memorial that honors all Japanese Americans that have sacrificed their lives in service of their country. This is the story of the journey to establishing the memorial as a important part of the Japanese American Community.
KATANA
A 250-year-old sword is brought to the U.S. at the end of World War II. KATANA explores the origins of the sword as well as that of the director’s father, a second-generation Japanese American who served as the sword’s caretaker for the past seventy-five years. The bushido code of societal conduct serves as a framework to connect both sword and caretaker.
LITTLE TOKYO SPARKLE
Hundreds of volunteers annually descend upon Little Tokyo to sweep sidewalks, remove graffiti, scrape gum, pickup trash, remove stickers and wash windows on the Nancy Kikuchi Volunteer Day. Residents make musubi (rice balls), restaurants make and donate food, and businesses donate raffle prizes. After cleaning the community, everyone gathers for lunch. One organizer said, “I never saw so many people smiling while sweeping, scraping or picking up trash.” Truly a community endeavor.
MOTHER DAUGHTER JOURNEY
Mother and Daughter went on a fun journey to the Northernmost part of the United States, and saw nature at its best...majestic forest, totem poles, mask, Red Onion Brothel. While exploring the great Northwest on a float plane, taking in amazing vistas, dining on a salmon lunch at a glacier lake as a black bear showed up for lunch, Mother took Daughter off in search for a WWII Japanese Memorial Monument.
WE WILL NOT FORGET YOU
Dale Makoto Inouye was diagnosed with leukemia at age two. He lived an extraordinary life, but succumbed to the disease at the tender age of nine. One of his biggest wishes was not to be forgotten. The DMI Foundation keeps Dale’s memory alive while raising funds for cancer research.
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Digital Histories is a mechanism for AANHPI older adults to use their unique voices and perspectives in sharing stories with the generations to come. Since its creation in 2003, Digital Histories has provided a professional and artistic work environment for underserved, ethnic-minority seniors in the Los Angeles-based Asian Pacific American community.  Past documentary projects have focused on issues such as discovering and preserving family histories, coming to terms with a gay child, and senior love and dating. 

A 250-year-old sword is brought to the U.S. at the end of World War II. KATANA explores the origins of the sword as well as that of the director’s father, a second-generation Japanese American who served as the sword’s caretaker for the past seventy-five years. The bushido code of societal conduct serves as a framework to connect both sword and caretaker.

  • Year
    2020
  • Runtime
    9 minutes
  • Language
    English
  • Country
    United States
  • Director
    Don Bannai
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