DisOrient 2024

Shorts Program: Okage Sama De: Japanese American Shorts

Expired March 18, 2024 6:59 AM
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6 films in package
Mochi, Sticks Us Together
Every year, our family gathers to make Mochi: soft, sweet rice cakes, around New Years. Our Japanese-American family has continued passing on this tradition, to the five generations that have lived in America. See our family at work, making mochi, and find out how and why, it sticks us together.
Bon Odori
A young Japanese American boy copes with his grandmother’s death and learns about his cultural heritage through the Bon Dance, a festive ritual that honors the spirits of the departed.
Missing Pieces
125,284 people of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from their homes and imprisoned by the U.S. government in 1942. 1,862 people died in these prisons. The filmmaker examines the health conditions in these camps, and reveals two deaths in her own family.
See You in My Dreams
Grief is something we all experience but rarely discuss openly. During the pandemic many have been examining their lives and deciding what changes need to be made. I hope that by acknowledging and remembering someone important in my life, change happens and more conversations open up about grief.
When I’m 64
There are signs in life that one is aging, but recognizing them is another issue. Accepting the fact that you have aged and what to do at the stage in life is an inevitable fact of life. What you do from there is up to you.
Those Who Helped Us
A young Japanese American girl narrates her family’s ordeal of being interned in a camp during World War II, and the kindness of some of their non-Japanese friends who helped them.
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This screening features 6 films. Toggle between film descriptions by scrolling and clicking on the buttons at the top right.

Every year, our family gathers to make Mochi: soft, sweet rice cakes, around New Years. Our Japanese-American family has continued passing on this tradition, to the five generations that have lived in America. See our family at work, making mochi, and find out how and why, it sticks us together.


Director - Teresa Matsushima


Teresa Takaki Matsushima, born in the Windy City, traded snow boots for slippahs and grew up as a Gardena girl. A diehard Bruin, she married her main squeeze, Bob, has two grown children, loves snuggling her grandkids, talking story over hot green tea and arranging flowers. A retired nurse practitioner, she has served with medical missions on three continents.

  • Year
    2023
  • Runtime
    6 minutes
  • Language
    English
  • Country
    United States
  • Premiere
    Pacific Northwest
  • Director
    Teresa Matsushima
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