Two shorts — one animation and one short documentary — highlight forms of resistance behind barbed wire.
Adapted from the graphic novel “We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration,” this animated film tells the story of the Akutsu Family, brothers Gene and Jim and parents Kiyonosuke and Nao. With panelist Frank Abe, writer of “We Hereby Refuse,” from Seattle.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
SHANNON GEE is a producer, editor, photographer and writer with nearly 30 years of experience in the field of television broadcast and print/digital media. Shannon has been with the Seattle Channel, the City of Seattle’s award winning government access channel, for two decades and currently serves as the general manager and executive producer for the organization. While at the Seattle Channel, Shannon has earned twelve Northwest Emmy awards and the Edward R. Murrow/Kaleidoscope award, a national award that recognizes television stations for their coverage of diversity and equity issues.
Before joining the city, Shannon was an independent producer of television documentaries for national and local public television and cable. She also freelanced as a film writer for newspapers and websites, including imdb.com and the Seattle Times. In 2020, Shannon was inducted into the National Association of Television Arts & Science Northwest Chapter’s Silver Circle, recognizing her 25+ years of contributions to the regions’ broadcasting community and service to the Seattle community at-large. Shannon recently went back to grad school, earning an MBA from the University of Washington Foster School of Business in 2023.
ABOUT THE WRITER
FRANK ABE is lead author of the graphic novel, “WE HEREBY REFUSE: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration,” named a Finalist in Creative Nonfiction for the Washington State Book Award. He wrote, produced, and directed the award-winning PBS documentary “Conscience and the Constitution” on the largest organized resistance in the camps. He won an American Book Award as co-editor of “JOHN OKADA: The Life & Rediscovered Work of the Author of No-No Boy,” in which he authored the first-ever biography of Okada and traced the origins of his novel. In May of 2024, Penguin Classics will publish his new anthology, “The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration.”
- Year2023
- Runtime15 minutes
- DirectorShannon Gee, Ian Devier, Randy Eng
- ScreenwriterFrank Abe
Two shorts — one animation and one short documentary — highlight forms of resistance behind barbed wire.
Adapted from the graphic novel “We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration,” this animated film tells the story of the Akutsu Family, brothers Gene and Jim and parents Kiyonosuke and Nao. With panelist Frank Abe, writer of “We Hereby Refuse,” from Seattle.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
SHANNON GEE is a producer, editor, photographer and writer with nearly 30 years of experience in the field of television broadcast and print/digital media. Shannon has been with the Seattle Channel, the City of Seattle’s award winning government access channel, for two decades and currently serves as the general manager and executive producer for the organization. While at the Seattle Channel, Shannon has earned twelve Northwest Emmy awards and the Edward R. Murrow/Kaleidoscope award, a national award that recognizes television stations for their coverage of diversity and equity issues.
Before joining the city, Shannon was an independent producer of television documentaries for national and local public television and cable. She also freelanced as a film writer for newspapers and websites, including imdb.com and the Seattle Times. In 2020, Shannon was inducted into the National Association of Television Arts & Science Northwest Chapter’s Silver Circle, recognizing her 25+ years of contributions to the regions’ broadcasting community and service to the Seattle community at-large. Shannon recently went back to grad school, earning an MBA from the University of Washington Foster School of Business in 2023.
ABOUT THE WRITER
FRANK ABE is lead author of the graphic novel, “WE HEREBY REFUSE: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration,” named a Finalist in Creative Nonfiction for the Washington State Book Award. He wrote, produced, and directed the award-winning PBS documentary “Conscience and the Constitution” on the largest organized resistance in the camps. He won an American Book Award as co-editor of “JOHN OKADA: The Life & Rediscovered Work of the Author of No-No Boy,” in which he authored the first-ever biography of Okada and traced the origins of his novel. In May of 2024, Penguin Classics will publish his new anthology, “The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration.”
- Year2023
- Runtime15 minutes
- DirectorShannon Gee, Ian Devier, Randy Eng
- ScreenwriterFrank Abe