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Title: Momiji: Japanese maple Rating: 3.6 out of 4 Reference: By Nancy Tatebe; producers, Nancy Tatebe
& Katherine Pressner. Library of Congress subjects: Japanese Canadians--Social conditions Japanese Canadians--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945 Japanese Canadians--Ethnic identity
Reviews and Numerical Ratings 3 This video is about a Canadian girl of Japanese origins trying to capture what had happened to her grandparents and parents during WWII. Having grown up in the post-war years, she is ignorant about the racism that her family was once subjected to. This video exposes the racist history of Canada - how Canadian-born Japanese were subjected to punishment (internment, treated as potential traitor, their property confiscated & sold) based solely on their ethnic origins. The narrator’s mother/father (obviously threats to the country?!) were put into concentration camps for many years. The video discusses the ongoing hostility & tension they faced living in Canada in the 40s. By talking with her parents about their past, the documentary-maker realise much more about her own culture & came to appreciate her own cultural identity, which she was trying to forget when she was young. It was a really good movie, although not a very in-depth analysis on the internment of Japanese during WWII. One thing that sticks with me was when the narrator’s Canadian-born mother described her feeling toward her birthplace, Canada: "I chose Canada over Japan...but it was like loving a parent that abused you". I was touched by what she said. The video was very much a personal journey of the video-maker, a personal reflection. It also shows how one loses one’s ethnic identities through assimilation. This video would be good for courses on racism, cultural studies, international migration, and ethnic studies. Lonnie Sha 4 An excellent video that reveals issues of race, racism, identity, cultural heritage and the effects of war. The narrator, a Canadian woman of Japanese descent, uses home videos to creatively tell the story of her parents’ and grandparents’ experience of being interned during World War II because of their racial identity as Japanese. Although her grandparents are no longer able to tell about the injustices of internment or their lives, the narrator is able to give a voice to their experience. The video also explores the issue of interracial marriage and having two cultural identities. The narrator rediscovers her family history and is able to reclaim her heritage and her identity as human, not just as a racialized person. She makes a thought-provoking remark showing how self-definition is more powerful than how society defines you: “I am who I am because of what they lived...race is not all of me, just part of me.” Overall, the video reveals how rediscovering one’s history, memory, family, and culture can lead to healing and a greater sense of self. For 3rd & 4th year students. Kisrene McKenzie (undergraduate) 4 Excellent! Visually interesting, emotional pull, good pace. Does a good job of assessing sociological concepts, of tying present with past. Canadian content. Balances narrative with archival material, macro-factors (war, racial discourse) with individual experience. Lecture topics: ethnic identity, diaspora, Japanese-Canadians. Angela Aujla & Riley Olstead 4 The story in this documentary was told in a candid, poignant, & informative way that will capture its viewers. The clear, concise, direct approach made it easy to absorb the content. There were numerous pieces of archival data presented as a means to defend the video maker’s standpoint. Her creativity does not overshadow her main purpose, which is to illustrate the heartbreaking social conditions of Japanese families in Canada during World War II. This video could serve as an example, after the tragic events in New York on September 11, 2001, of how certain ethnic groups are stratified. Consequently, many controversial discussions could emerge from viewing this documentary. For students at any level. Minh Hoang (undergraduate) 3 Andrew thought the narrator’s motivation for
learning about her grandmother’s culture seemed trite; Kathy thought
it would be plausible to undergraduates and that they’d like a
video made by someone in their 30s. Clarity of the account is sometimes
sacrificed to visuals. We liked the historical footage & depiction
of war through a child’s eyes. Andrew Paravantes & Kathy Bischoping
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