John Esaki

Henry Sugimoto’s translated memoirs, brought to life by Academy Award-nominated actor Mako, reveal the artist’s own journey through his life and art. The documentary features his paintings and sketches, rare archival footage, and film of the artist just before his death.

The film looks back at the life of a man named Oda and other Japanese Americans through the decades as they face great challenges and joys living in the United States.

Wakako Yamauchi, Momo Nagano, and Mary Nomura were teenagers when they were interned in concentration camps during World War II. Behind barbed wire, their creative spirits remained undaunted—their lives fortified by art, music, and literature. Words, Weaves, and Songs profiles the three women artists on their art, personal stories, and experiences of internment.

The thirty-year acting career of the late Yuki Shimoda reflects the achievements and career disappointments that faced Asian American actors. Shimoda persevered on to land challenging, dramatic roles, such as in the television movie, Farewell to Manzanar. Shimoda’s journey from Sacramento’s “J-Town,” to his imprisonment in an American concentration camp, and his experiences on Broadway and Hollywood are insightfully explored through interviews and selected clips from his film and television work.

Henry Sugimoto’s translated memoirs, brought to life by Academy Award-nominated actor Mako, reveal the artist’s own journey through his life and art. The documentary features his paintings and sketches, rare archival footage, and film of the artist just before his death.

The film looks back at the life of a man named Oda and other Japanese Americans through the decades as they face great challenges and joys living in the United States.

Wakako Yamauchi, Momo Nagano, and Mary Nomura were teenagers when they were interned in concentration camps during World War II. Behind barbed wire, their creative spirits remained undaunted—their lives fortified by art, music, and literature. Words, Weaves, and Songs profiles the three women artists on their art, personal stories, and experiences of internment.

The thirty-year acting career of the late Yuki Shimoda reflects the achievements and career disappointments that faced Asian American actors. Shimoda persevered on to land challenging, dramatic roles, such as in the television movie, Farewell to Manzanar. Shimoda’s journey from Sacramento’s “J-Town,” to his imprisonment in an American concentration camp, and his experiences on Broadway and Hollywood are insightfully explored through interviews and selected clips from his film and television work.