The wartime incarceration and its consequences are captured in creative and artistic shorts in this program, from an animated short on the Japanese Canadian incarceration, to history caught through the lens of a treasured household item, to a short narrative tying Native Americans and Japanese Americans, to a quest for identity and purpose by taiko legends.
A Japanese American incarcerated in an Indigenous reservation during WWII forms an unlikely friendship with a Mohave Indian.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
MARLENE SHIGEKAWA is a writer/director/film producer who produced the short, live action film, “The Blue Jay,” and the feature documentary film, “For the Sake of the Children,” which has screened throughout the U.S. and Canada. She is the executive director of the Poston Community Alliance, a nonprofit organization that preserves the legacy of the former Poston incarceration camp. Her published work includes children’s books about her family’s incarceration experience — “Blue Jay in the Desert” and “Welcome Home Swallows.” Her high-tech work in Silicon Valley led to her published book – “Succeeding in High Tech: A Guide to Building Your Career.” She earned a B.A. in English from the University of California, Riverside and a M.S. in counseling from the California State University, East Bay.
- Year2023
- Runtime14 minutes
- DirectorMarlene Shigekawa
The wartime incarceration and its consequences are captured in creative and artistic shorts in this program, from an animated short on the Japanese Canadian incarceration, to history caught through the lens of a treasured household item, to a short narrative tying Native Americans and Japanese Americans, to a quest for identity and purpose by taiko legends.
A Japanese American incarcerated in an Indigenous reservation during WWII forms an unlikely friendship with a Mohave Indian.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
MARLENE SHIGEKAWA is a writer/director/film producer who produced the short, live action film, “The Blue Jay,” and the feature documentary film, “For the Sake of the Children,” which has screened throughout the U.S. and Canada. She is the executive director of the Poston Community Alliance, a nonprofit organization that preserves the legacy of the former Poston incarceration camp. Her published work includes children’s books about her family’s incarceration experience — “Blue Jay in the Desert” and “Welcome Home Swallows.” Her high-tech work in Silicon Valley led to her published book – “Succeeding in High Tech: A Guide to Building Your Career.” She earned a B.A. in English from the University of California, Riverside and a M.S. in counseling from the California State University, East Bay.
- Year2023
- Runtime14 minutes
- DirectorMarlene Shigekawa