Filmmaker Hopes To Bring History of Japanese Internment to Life

By: |Published on: Sep 18, 2013|Categories: Audio/Video, History, Issues, NDAA|

When we talk about NSA spying or indefinite detention under the NDAA, many Americans simply shrug. When we point out the potential for evil in allowing the U.S. government to exercise these kinds of powers, they wave off our warnings as unfounded.

“That could never happen here,” the confidently assure us.

But it has.

Too many Americans remain ignorant of black stains on American history, and that lack of knowledge creates a dangerous blind spot. Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.

In February 1942, FDR signed executive order 9066, opening the door to the “indefinite detention” of nearly 150,000 people on American soil, and filmmaker Ecar Oden hopes to produce a documentary so we don’t forget.

“I am trying to win a grant for a documentary I am producing, on Manzanar National Historic Site in California and photographers Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange and Toyo Miyatake, who photographed there,” he said. “I have been working on a separate documentary for several years now on famed landscape photographer Ansel Adams, but as is often the case with documentaries, in the research and interviews, the story often changes. While Ansel Adams is still in the works, I discovered a fascinating story that came out of our research into his time photographing at Manazanar.”

Oden has entered a contest  sponsored by Canon and Abelcine in the hope of winning that grant to complete the film. To move on in the competition, he needs to earn as many “likes” on his pitch video as possible. You can help by watching the video and if you think it worthy, “like” it. You’ll need to sign up fro Vimeo (simple and free). The heart shape at the upper right hand corner of the video is the like button. The top ten “like” getters, get to the next round.

Mike Maharrey
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