The story of Hakone Gardens and what happened to its Japanese gardener during the Internment. Hakone Foundation members, whose families were incarcerated in camps, share their reflections on Executive Order 9066. Director -&nbsp;Curt Fukuda<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-storage.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/017/209/original/17025f2fe7-headshot.jpg?1645896000" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-storage.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/017/209/thumb/17025f2fe7-headshot.jpg?1645896000" style="border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative;" width="113"></a>Curt Fukuda grew up in the Santa Clara Valley. He remembers when the area was filled with farms, orchards, and berry patches; when the air was tart with the smell of stewed tomatoes during the canning season. Curt graduated from San Jose State University with a BA in Radio-TV- Film. He has worked as a filmmaker, commercial photographer, exhibiting artist, writer, graphic designer, and instructor.&nbsp;

Hakone Gardens and Executive Order 9066

A young Japanese American must confront his past and learn the price of freedom when given the opportunity to leave the WWII internment camp where he is imprisoned. Director Biography -&nbsp;Jason Yamamoto<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-storage.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/095/473/original/5d774b9704-headshot.jpg?1654112101" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-storage.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/095/473/thumb/5d774b9704-headshot.jpg?1654112101" style="border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative;" width="129"></a>Jason Yamamoto was raised in Torrance, California and studied filmmaking at Chapman University with an emphasis in directing. His stories often focus on identity and family and finding one's place. Jason hopes his work will inspire people to help one another, and know they are not alone in the world. Director StatementMy grandfather, Yukio Mochizuki, was one of my biggest inspirations growing up. He was passionate and stubborn, and always put his family first. Every now and then he would talk about his experiences growing up in the internment camps during WWII. Unfortunately, by the time I was old enough to truly begin processing those stories, he had passed away.Knowing that I had to keep these stories alive, I wrote the first draft of "When You Leave" back in 2017. It was a story that I wanted to tell, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to tell it; I wasn’t sure if it was the right time. Then in 2020 the pandemic hit, and with it a rise in violence and hate towards the Asian community. Seeing the news about Asian Americans being beaten on the street in broad daylight was a disturbing echo of the past. It then became clear that "When You Leave" was a story that needed to be told.With COVID creating new restrictions and protocols for film sets, I had to rework my original idea. Still set in the internment camps during WWII, I decided to focus on the aftermath of a racially motivated attack, and how it can impact a person’s mental health and influence their decisions. I crafted a story about a Japanese American being harassed and abused so much that they’d rather live a life in prison than a free life where they could potentially face more hate. Our main character struggles to ask for help, and in doing so creates a rift between him and his family. This all develops into the theme of the film: that the world can be a cruel place, but you don’t have to face it alone. I hope that this film will inspire people to talk about their internal struggles and not be afraid to ask for help, and I hope it inspires others to offer help and look out for one another. If we can do this, then we can persevere through anything.

When You Leave

In the first half of the 20th century, Nihonmachi, or Japantown, sat in the heart of Santa Barbara’s downtown on top of the former site of the historic El Presidio de Santa Barbara. Today, no structural trace of this once vibrant neighborhood remains, only fragments and memories. Sonzai tells the story of Santa Barbara’s Nihonmachi through oral history interviews, archaeology, and the researchers who seek to understand what happened to this community. Through these strands of history, the existence of a Japanese American community interrupted by war is brought to light in the present day. Director Biography -&nbsp;Barre Fong<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-storage.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/009/851/original/6b4a9e142d-headshot.jpg?1645051496" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-storage.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/009/851/thumb/6b4a9e142d-headshot.jpg?1645051496" style="border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative;" width="117"></a>Barre Fong is a fourth generation Chinese-American and San Francisco native. Barre’s activities as a filmmaker and community activist is an embodiment of his grandfather’s dream of preserving his own experience as a turn-of-the-Century Chinese immigrant. He previously served as the President of the Board of Directors for the Chinese Historical Society of America and on the Board of Trustees of Lick-Wilmerding High School. He has produced and directed short films about the Asian American experience since 2013. His 2019 film, Finding the Virgo is currently available on PBS stations across the country.

Sonzai

A fantasy romance set in the ruins of a Japanese American internment camp where a young couple attempts to reconcile their relationship as ghosts. Director Biography -&nbsp;Kevin Kodama<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/8fe4ee63081408328ec01569335807b8.jpg" width="77"> Kevin Kodama is a writer/director born and raised in the suburbs of San Francisco, CA. He recently graduated summa cum laude from San Francisco State University earning a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema. He was accepted into the 2021-2022 Undergraduate Thesis program at SFSU and was also a recipient of the 2021-2022 Marcus Undergraduate Research Fellowship Award. His short film, titled Shikata Ga Nai, recently won “Best Cinematography” at the 62nd Film Finals hosted by SF State. Director StatementI aim to write, direct, and produce original feature films which contemplate romance, identity, and morality while challenging hegemonic narratives and exploring unique stories in history.

SHIKATA GA NAI [it cannot be helped]

A man is caught in a web of love, murder and betrayal in this film noir set in the Manzanar Internment Camp during World War II. <img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/cHu070evZd8kZizBvQVmqH-OCOrEZCC1aW582frGNDY_ZF8RMt-DyBGHJrZI7Rgzv99dTKNPXlFTSwCk0gNsFozwONrew7lsRj4Dq2U4p5dKy51nK9lzPVNZOBAWG8EF6WWQoVUWSiW1OnDUt__TKVWE-RbZCc7H8KE6SKirro0TI6kgL5Hy2mK43Q" width="137" style="margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px;"> Director Biography -&nbsp;Tom HuangTom Huang is a multi-award-winning indie filmmaker, producer, director and writer. His current indie feature film, “Find Me,” has drawn raves from audiences and critics alike across the U.S., scoring 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and winning Best Screenplay at the Rhode Island International Film Fest, Best Feature Film at the Atlanta Independent Film Fest, and the Audience Award at the Oregon DisOrient Asian-American Film Fest. Currently on Amazon Prime, the film is featured on Amazon Prime’s Top Drama and Popular Films lists. Outside Magazine named it “the Indie Adventure Film we all need,” while Reel Honest Reviews wrote, “Find Me” is a funny, uniquely charming, and gorgeous film... it’s a meaningful and poignant film with life lessons that will make you sigh and even shed a few tears,” while the Chicago Reader called it a “strikingly original road movie... the stunning landscapes and Huang's low-key persona are enchanting, as are the ethnically diverse free spirits he encounters during his quest.” The film can currently be seen on amazon Prime as well as all other digital release platforms including Google Play and tubi TV. (www.findmethefilm.com) Director's StatementAs an Asian-American filmmaker, I've always wanted to do something that was an American period piece that starred Asian-Americans just being Americans... not the immigrants with accents that we always see as the only representation of Asian-Americans in US history. A few years ago, I was able to visit the Manzanar Internment Camp site and experienced the amazing job the National Park Service has done in recreating the barracks, the mess halls, and maybe the most sinister of all, the guard tower from that time in history that was buried and forgotten for years. It really made what happened in Manzanar, and all over the America, so very real, and it was a chilling reminder to me of what has happened and could happen again in our nation that prides itself on freedom. What also struck me as I looked at all of the photos and displays of the Japanese Americans that were imprisoned in those camps, is that they all looked very much like every day Americans at that time period, and that I so rarely get to see Americans like these portrayed in film and TV. That’s when it hit me that this could be the center of a very unique film... and not only that, but I realized the themes of the desperation, the nihilism, the darkness of it all perfectly matched the themes of classic film noir... this spurned me to collaborate with fellow writer/producer Koji Steven Sakai to come up with this story, and then shoot this film as a classic film noir from the 40’s, set in the Manzanar camp, a tale of love, lies and betrayal... and with classic noir characters, who just happen to be Asian American. This short is actually based on a feature version of the script, that we hope to make as well.

The Loyal Betrayal

Japanese American Incarceration Stories

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Thank&nbsp;you&nbsp;for your generous donation to the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest, a production of CATS (Contemporary Asian Theater Scene), a non profit 501c3. EIN: 77-0402633 Thank&nbsp;You,Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest<a href="https://www.svapfilmfest.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.svapfilmfest.org</a>

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