Film Screening “History and Memory: For Akiko and Takashige” by Rea Tajiri

Filmmaker Rea Tajiri blends interviews, memorabilia, and a pilgrimage to the camp where her mother was interned, ruminating on the difficult nature of representing the past – especially a past that exists outside traditional historic accounts. More than simply calling attention to the gaps in the story of the Japanese American internment, this important film from 1991 raises questions about collective history; questions that prompt Tajiri to daringly re-imagine and re-create what has been stolen and what has been lost. This 30-minute documentary short will be followed by a discussion between the filmmaker and choreographer Benjamin Akio Kimitch.