At the start of World War II, Japanese Americans living on the West Coast were faced with the threat of forced removal and incarceration in concentration camps. A small number took their fate in their own hands, fleeing to interior states, becoming refugees in their own country, on a forced migration into the unknown. Before They Take Us Away is the first feature documentary to chronicle the untold stories of the “self-evacuees” who spent the war years outside the camps, as they struggled to rebuild their lives and overcome poverty, isolation, hostility and racial violence.

Awards

Audience Choice Award, Best Feature Documentary - Mixed Asian Media Festival ● Best Japanese American Award - Japan Film Festival, Los Angeles ● Grand Festival Award, Documentary - Berkeley Video & Film Festival

Festivals

DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon

Northern California Premiere! Filmmaker Attending, Post-Screening Q&A!

Website