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 - Jason Yamamoto
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 Statement
My 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.
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 - Jason Yamamoto
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 Statement
My 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.