{"id":46632,"date":"2026-02-10T12:47:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T20:47:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=46632"},"modified":"2026-02-10T12:47:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T20:47:42","slug":"film-showcase-of-wwii-internment-carries-timely-message-organizers-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/02\/10\/film-showcase-of-wwii-internment-carries-timely-message-organizers-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Film showcase of WWII internment carries timely message, organizers say"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/users\/profile\/James%20Salazar\">By James Salazar | Examiner staff writer<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Feb 8, 2026 (SFExaminer.com)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com\/sfexaminer.com\/content\/tncms\/assets\/v3\/editorial\/f\/bb\/fbbefff9-748a-44b4-8097-e1b8ef1ae6e6\/69868dd2a2d7e.image.jpg?resize=400%2C225\" alt=\"Third Act\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura wipes sweat off the face of his father, Robert Nakamura, during the making of \u201cThird Act,\u201d the movie headlining Films of Remembrance.Courtesy Tadashi Nakamura<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>An upcoming film showcase will observe the lives of the more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent who were forcibly detained and sent to American concentration camps during World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Japantown\u2019s AMC Kabuki 8 movie theater will host Films of Remembrance on Feb. 21, screening 10 movies that day. The Nichi Bei Foundation hosts the annual event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. this year. The foundation is a charitable and educational nonprofit dedicated to informing people about the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/the-city\/sf-activists-help-japantown-residents-urban-renewal-victims\/article_a8e4ebca-f304-11ef-a110-2322dfe679c1.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans in the U.S. during the 1940s<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Films of Remembrance started in San Francisco in 2012, expanding into a touring four-city undertaking last year. For the 15th edition of the organization\u2019s annual showcase, screenings are taking place in The City, in San Jose on Feb. 22, and in Los Angeles and Gardena in March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Organizers said the curated selection of films will elevate an overlooked part of American history, while also reminding viewers of the ways in which people\u2019s constitutional rights, freedoms and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/culture\/museums-and-galleries\/desire-ciis-kinsey-institute\/article_8cd77dfc-e30d-4a98-a208-425176c7e844.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">protections are still being challenged today<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Foundation president Kenji Taguma said Nichi Bei\u2019s event \u201ccomes at a time when many feel that civil liberties are under siege.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Films of Remembrance commemorates Executive Order 9066, which&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/milestone-documents\/executive-order-9066\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">President Franklin Roosevelt signed in February 1942<\/a>&nbsp;to authorize the mass removal of Japanese Americans. Similar events are taking place today, Taguma said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>President Donald Trump\u2019s administration has tried to use the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/trump-cannot-use-alien-enemies-act-to-deport-members-of-venezuelan-gang-appeals-court-rules\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Alien Enemies Act of 1798<\/a>&nbsp;to \u201cjustify the current roundup of immigrants,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The federal law is the same one that was \u201cused to justify the forced removal and incarceration of our community during World War II,\u201d Taguma said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Audiences will see incarceration play out from different perspectives, including \u201cdirectly from former incarcerees, some by descendants of the camps and even by students who are trying to erect a monument to memorialize the experience in their community,&#8221; Taguma said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 10 films include eight short documentaries and two short films. In the short \u201c9066: Fear, Football and The Theft of Freedom,\u201d former Cal and NFL linebacker Scott Fujita links his family\u2019s history in the country back to forced internment. Organizers are also screening \u201cHello Maggie!,\u201d which San Francisco native Willie Ito animated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/tadashinakamura.com\/beta\/masters-of-modern-design-the-art-of-the-japanese-american-experience\/\" target=\"_blank\">Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura<\/a>\u00a0will be this year\u2019s headliner, presenting audiences with the feature-length \u201cThird Act.\u201d The film chronicles the career of his father, Robert Nakamura, who died in June. The senior Nakamura was one of the earliest filmmakers\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/12\/23\/movies\/robert-nakamura-dead.html\" target=\"_blank\">whose works dealt with wartime incarceration<\/a>, and his films are said to have inspired others. \u201cThird Act\u201d also highlights Robert Nakamura navigating his own diagnosis of Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a statement, Nakamura said making the film helped him understand how his father\u2019s \u201clife and career have been shaped by coming to grips with the mass incarceration of WWII.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI realize that I have inherited the legacy of that government betrayal, the historical trauma, which is intergenerational,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Community members\u2019 connectivity with each other is a central theme that Taguma said Films of Remembrance will explore with its selected presentations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn 1942, there were too few people who stood up for us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since then, descendants have learned how important it is \u201cto speak out for others who are targeted by racial scapegoating today,\u201d Taguma said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Films of Remembrance was able to return to a touring format this year thanks to a presenting sponsorship from the Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation, he said. The pair established the foundation in 1986 with Tomoye\u2019s sister, Martha Masako Suzuki, seeking to preserve Japanese American culture through arts and education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-28.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46634\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Robert Nakamura \u2014 the father of director Tadashi Nakamura \u2014 was one of the first filmmakers whose works dealt with the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans.Courtesy Tadashi Nakamura<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nichibei.org\/2025\/02\/tree-of-remembrance-installation-shines-light-on-past-incarceration-wrongdoings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">San Francisco artist Masako Takahashi<\/a>, whose parents helped establish the foundation, was born in a concentration camp situated in the Utah desert. Takahashi said her parents lived in The City before the war and returned once it was over. Her family grew up near the intersection of Post and Buchanan streets, before homes and businesses were torn down as part of city officials\u2019 redevelopment plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When her family \u201creturned to San Francisco, a welcoming enclave existed in The City\u2019s Japantown,&#8221; Takahashi said. She said she hopes viewers will come away from the series rejecting divisive rhetoric and work toward ensuring that The City remains a safe space for all residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSan Francisco was a city where people of all backgrounds could find a place,\u201d Takahashi said. \u201cI fervently wish it to be so in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/users\/profile\/James%20Salazar\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com\/sfexaminer.com\/content\/tncms\/avatars\/4\/ef\/917\/4ef917fc-d70b-11ec-a203-bf72021caa8e.9be250065332c15dfd08167abfd38956.png?_dc=1666718661\" alt=\"James Salazar\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/users\/profile\/James%20Salazar\">James Salazar<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Neighborhoods &amp; Culture Correspondent<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An upcoming film showcase will observe the lives of the more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent who were forcibly detained and sent to American concentration camps during World War II. Japantown\u2019s AMC Kabuki 8 movie theater will host Films of Remembrance on Feb. 21, screening 10 movies that day&#8230;. <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/02\/10\/film-showcase-of-wwii-internment-carries-timely-message-organizers-say\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46632"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46632"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46637,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46632\/revisions\/46637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}