FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(July 30, 1999 - CLEVELAND, OHIO) The Japanese Americans Citizens League's National Headquarters recently awarded MDI a 1999 Legacy Fund Grant for production of the documentary An American History: The Resettlement of Japanese Americans in Cleveland.
The film project An American History: The Resettlement of Japanese Americans in Cleveland will tell the story of those Japanese Americans interned during World War II who chose to resettle in the Northeast Ohio area. An American History will not be a simple recounting of internment experiences, but it will go further and examine the life choices these individuals have made that have taken them to the North Coast.
This
hour-length film will be presented roughly in a chronological sequence.
Through the use of filmed interviews with internment camp survivors conducted
by the youth chair of the Cleveland Japanese American Citizens League,
Steve Yano, An American History will recount the actual life experiences
of several Japanese-Americans. The film will explore their internment
experiences, their decision to reside in the Cleveland area, the obstacles
they and their families encountered, and their struggles to succeed. The
film will also make use of historical footage, photographs, and other
artifacts to supplement on-camera interviews.
Taking an active role in the production of this project will positively impact the JACL on regional and national levels, and once completed, An American History will be an important educational tool to use at seminars, lectures, and discussions about internment camp experiences and the redress movement. It can also contribute to larger civil rights discussions to help build and strengthen alliances within the broader civil rights community. Finally, by having a Midwestern focus, An American History will raise issues of WWII internment, resettlement, redress, and civil rights to communities who may have previously been unaware of them.
MDI will commence production of this project in August and will make the tape available to the public by February 15, 2000. Through sight, sound, motion, and emotion, viewers will experience this incredible part of American history and hear the stories of true survivors.