American

Richie Adams / Nisei Experience, WWII / USA / 2018 / narrative / 18 mins

A 94-year-old veteran who works as a volunteer at the Japanese American National Museum encounters a mother and her daughter, triggering events that happened in his past, including his time as a young man in a Japanese American Internment Camp and later serving with the 442 in WWII. Stars George Takei, Leonardo Nam, Rachel Michiko Whitney, Keong Sim, and Ivan Shaw.

Precedes: The Registry

Brooklyn in July

Bob Celli and Laura Delano / African American Experience, WWII / USA / 2017 / narrative / 21 mins

"Brooklyn in July" is the story of Frank Walker, an African-American WWII veteran working as a chauffeur. It is the summer of 1945. Frank, like so many other African-Americans of the time, is drawn to New York by the promise of a better life only to be confronted by the same realities, fear, and hatred he hoped he had left behind.

Preceded by: Code of Honor: One Soldier’s Stand for Equality

Precedes: Major Capers: The Legend of Team Broadminded

Code of Honor: One Soldier’s Stand for Equality

Aiden Keltner / African American Experience, Marines, Student Film, Local Film Showcase, WWII / USA / 2018 / documentary / 12 mins

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran tells the story of his experience participating in the integration of African Americans into the Marine Corps.

Precedes: Brooklyn in July, Major Capers: The Legend of Team Broadminded

Film Block: Fight for Equality

Marines, Student Film, Local Film Showcase, Vietnam War, WWII

This trio of films showcase the African American military service experiences. Films featured in this block include: "Code of Honor: One Soldier's Stand for Equality," "Brooklyn in July," and "Major Capers: The Legend of Team Broadminded."

In This Program: Code of Honor: One Soldier’s Stand for Equality, Brooklyn in July, Major Capers: The Legend of Team Broadminded

The Last Signal

Kyle Olson / Navy, WWII / USA / 2017 / documentary / 29 mins

Raymond "DeVere" Johnson thought he was the last surviving World War II veteran of the Navy ship LST-218. Adamant to prove he was not alone, his daughter created a post on Facebook asking help in finding him a fellow shipmate. Weeks later, 91 year old veteran of LST-218 John Heimsoth was uncovered. In the wake of discovery, these two great men scheduled a reunion, proving it is never too late to share history even as time runs out.

Never Forget

Lane Nishikawa / Local Film Showcase, Nisei Experience, WWII / USA / 2017 / documentary / 37 mins

Never Forget focuses on the few remaining World War II Japanese American veterans of the 100th/442nd Regiment, U.S. Army, and their families.

Precedes: Unforgotten

Opening Night Featuring Nisei Stories

Nisei Experience, WWII

Opening night features two films on the Japanese American soldiers during World War II.

In This Program: American, The Registry

The Registry

William Kubota and Steve Ozone / Nisei Experience, WWII / USA / 2018 / documentary / 57 mins

The Registry profiles a few of those who served in the M.I.S. during WWII A very long excel spreadsheet resides on an old computer near the window of an upstairs bedroom in suburban Minneapolis. The spreadsheet is a list, a registry of names of thousands of World War II veterans that served in the U.S. Military Intelligence Service, the M.I.S. Seiki Oshiro, a retired computer programmer, is the keeper of the registry. He also served in the M.I.S. “Who will remember us after we’re all gone?” he wonders. Will his children, or grandchildren know what they did during the war? Maybe the registry will help. Most of the veterans of World War II have passed on. Many have told their stories, recorded for history. But for those in the M.I.S., made up of Japanese-Americans who fought in the Pacific against the Japanese enemy, so many of those stories have been lost, as the unit was sworn to secrecy for decades after the war. Add to that, there was no complete record made by the U.S. Army about who actually served in the unit. The documentary film The Registry profiles a few of those who served in the M.I.S. who reveal stories to their sons and daughters they’ve never shared until now, as they’re well in to their 90s. The film looks at decisions made in a time of war regarding loyalty to country while facing racism and the mass internment in the U.S. of people of Japanese descent.

Preceded by: American

Film Block: Stories from the Seas

Local Film Showcase, Navy, WWII

This film pairing features stories about the Navy and our sailors. This film block includes "The Last Signal" and "Aircraft Carrier: Guardian of the Seas".

In This Program: The Last Signal, Aircraft Carrier: Guardian of the Seas

Film Block: WWII & Korean War Perspectives

Healing, Bridging Generations, Korean War, Nisei Experience, WWII

Explore the individual stories of our WWII and Korean War heroes.

In This Program: Never Forget, Unforgotten