Kintsukuroi - a film about the Japanese Internment

[nice gaijin]

Recently I went to a preview of Kintsukuroi, a film written and directed by Kerwin Berk, a SF bay-area journalist and filmmaker. He is sansei (third generation) Japanese-American and his production company, Ikeibi Films, is dedicated to the idea that Asian Americans need to tell their own stories in their own voice using our own talent both in front of and behind the camera. There was a Q&A after the film with the director and some of the actors.

Kintsukuroi (2024) ⭐ 9.2 | Drama

2h 10m

www.imdb.com

Despite the film's relatively low budget of $30,000, it tells a sweeping story of 120,000 Americans through the eyes of two families that found themselves suddenly thrust into the middle of the war. Kintsukuroi, also called Kintsugi, is the art of repairing broken pottery with gold and lacquer, and that the repairs which highlight the damage bring a new beautiful aspect to the vessel.

Tomorrow I'll be helping facilitate a viewing at my mom's retirement complex, only this time I'm helping run the post-film discussion. So I find myself researching order 9066, the no-nos, and the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, where the US government officially apologized to Japanese Americans for their internment.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

That looks really interesting ! Kind of the opposite of the Tenko story. Most people of my generation thought it was racist because no Germans were interred

 

[mdchachi]

dedicated to the idea that Asian Americans need to tell their own stories in their own voice using our own talent both in front of and behind the camera

Unless Tom Cruise or Scarlet Johansson is available

 

[Grandpa Frank]

The term "low Budget" probably locked out all of Hollywood , LOL. I'm hoping to find it on YouTube tomorrow.

 

[nice gaijin]

Unless Tom Cruise or Scarlet Johansson is available

I couldn't say, but this production mostly ran on volunteer work on both sides of the camera, so I wouldn't expect them to be able to afford the last samurai , or major mira killian.

That looks really interesting ! Kind of the opposite of the Tenko story. Most people of my generation thought it was racist because no Germans were interred.View attachment 121664

I'm not familiar with that show, I'll have to check it out. Kintsukuroi is a dramatic retelling but incorporates a lot of real things that happened, just with fictional characters. From what I've read, there were a couple hundred Europeans that were interred here and there, but by and large order 9066 specifically targeted those of Japanese descent, despite not mentioning ethnicity directly. Apparently efforts to do the same to Italian-Americans on the East Coast was stymied by their political and economic influence; European groups were just harder to isolate and single out because they had a longer foothold in the country, and racism. Even though the impetus for America's involvement in the war was the attack on Pearl Harbor, the order didn't apply in Hawaii since a significant portion of the inhabitants would've been targeted, and the workforce wasn't big enough to withstand such a blow. Sometimes economics can take precedence over racist policies... I hope that's the case considering the incoming administration's rhetoric.

So far I can only find information about the film being shown in individual theaters, the viewing I went to was at a local Japanese Buddhist Church. In fact, the only reason I knew about it was I happened to meet someone who volunteered on the production as a docent at Wakamatsu Farm, one of the primary filming locations.

American River Conservancy - Wakamatsu

www.arconservancy.org

I'm not sure what the release schedule is for the film, or what platforms it may find its way to, but I'll update this thread if I learn anything new. In the meanwhile, there is a facebook group for the film here: IKEIBI FILMS presents KINTSUKUROI

 

[Grandpa Frank]

Tenko came out in 1981. Been over 40 years and I still remember it. It's well worth watching if you can find it anywhere.

 

[mdchachi]

I couldn't say, but this production mostly ran on volunteer work on both sides of the camera, so I wouldn't expect them to be able to afford the last samurai, or major mira killian.

I was just joking. Even if they were available, it's not an excuse to use non-Asian talent for Asian roles.

 

[nice gaijin]

I was just joking. Even if they were available, it's not an excuse to use non-Asian talent for Asian roles.

oops I put an aggressive period where a belonged

 

[salyavin]

That looks really interesting ! Kind of the opposite of the Tenko story. Most people of my generation thought it was racist because no Germans were interred

View attachment 121664

Very interesting to hear your generation thought it was racist because Germans were not interred, I am happy to hear that. Some of my family was interred (the last passed about 6 years ago I think) as well as some others I knew like a tea ceremony teacher I did some with years ago, even after internment though some did not teach their children Japanese in the case of some of my relatives trying to prove they were American and they were called things like Buddha heads (this is all before I was born in the 50s). On the other side my Japanese tutor I used (and some others from my company) who I am still in contact with in her 90s had a very good experience with Americans. She was in Tokyo in the war and post war as a youth she helped the American occupation with translation etc and was treated very well, she immigrated to the US and went to uni there and was treated well. She met a Japanese who was a professor in the US and married him had two children then her husband died, she opened an import store in the 60s. She did get a few racist phone calls even in the 90s like go home chink (cannot get the right slur) but mostly positive.

 

[Lilolas]

Thank you for the recommendation! I'm curious how this film compares to other works on this subject. Could the authors offer a fresh perspective on this historical event?For those seeking to learn more about internment, I recommend the documentary 'Unfinished Business: The Internment of Japanese Americans'. It contains many archival clips and interviews with witnesses, allowing for a deeper dive into the atmosphere of that time.