This film is followed by a prerecorded Q&A.
What do the water rights of Indigenous people in Southern California have to do with Manzanar, a World War II internment camp for Japanese Americans? American filmmaker Ann Kaneko expertly entwines these strands into a powerful story about the cultural and historical significance of water in the Owens Valley. The film connects the displacement of Indigenous people with the movement and imprisonment of Japanese Americans and the contemporary coalitions working to protect the disappearing ecosystem. Kaneko insists that these are all facets of the same story, while uncovering how official entities like the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power have made decisions regarding how the landscape should be used—and for whose benefit. Indigenous people who were relocated, Japanese Americans who were interned, park rangers and activists are all at work to reclaim this site and its histories, invoking the value of memory and storytelling in the quest for a sustainable future. This is an ambitious, elegant and evocative film that captures the beauty rooted in a dusty, contentious landscape. -KR
Community Partner
- Year2020
- Runtime77 minutes
- CountryUnited States
- PremiereCanada
- DirectorAnn Kaneko
- ProducerJin Yoo-Kim
- Executive ProducerTracy Rector
- CinematographerAnn Kaneko
- EditorAnn Kaneko, Susan Metzger
- Sound DesignBen Huff
This film is followed by a prerecorded Q&A.
What do the water rights of Indigenous people in Southern California have to do with Manzanar, a World War II internment camp for Japanese Americans? American filmmaker Ann Kaneko expertly entwines these strands into a powerful story about the cultural and historical significance of water in the Owens Valley. The film connects the displacement of Indigenous people with the movement and imprisonment of Japanese Americans and the contemporary coalitions working to protect the disappearing ecosystem. Kaneko insists that these are all facets of the same story, while uncovering how official entities like the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power have made decisions regarding how the landscape should be used—and for whose benefit. Indigenous people who were relocated, Japanese Americans who were interned, park rangers and activists are all at work to reclaim this site and its histories, invoking the value of memory and storytelling in the quest for a sustainable future. This is an ambitious, elegant and evocative film that captures the beauty rooted in a dusty, contentious landscape. -KR
Community Partner
- Year2020
- Runtime77 minutes
- CountryUnited States
- PremiereCanada
- DirectorAnn Kaneko
- ProducerJin Yoo-Kim
- Executive ProducerTracy Rector
- CinematographerAnn Kaneko
- EditorAnn Kaneko, Susan Metzger
- Sound DesignBen Huff