Former Nisei soldier Steve Shimizu (left) in Orange County, and film director Junichi Suzuki pose in a press conference of the film, “442.” (Cultural News Photo)
August 2010, San Diego: Museum of Photographic Arts, August 21 (Saturday) and August 22 (Sunday) “442” will be playing with "Toyo's Camera." "Toyo's Camera" at 11 AM, 3:20PM. “442” at 1:10PM, 5:30PM, www.mopa.org, (619) 238-7559
Museum of Photographic Arts is located at 1649 El Prado, in Balboa Park, San Diego, CA 92101.
July 25, 2010 - The veteran film director Junichi Suzuki’s latest film 442 - Live with Honor, Die with Dignity is released on July 25 at Aratani/ Japan America Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, and followed by South Bay, Irvine, San Francisco, San Jose and San Diego.
Prior to this mainland premiere in July, 442 was shown at the Maui Film Festival on June 20 as the world premiere screening and won the Audience Award Special Prize “Courage and Commitment.”
The film was screened at the Castle Theater of Maui Arts & Cultural Center which has 1200 capacity, one of the most highly recognized as the artistic theatres in the South Pacific.
On June 20, the theatre was filled with the people to come to watch the film. Among the audience, there was Mr. Lawson Sakai and Mr. George Sakato who were main interviewees of the film with other 100th/442nd veterans of Maui.
They were surprised by the video message from Senator Daniel Inouye, who is also the film’s main interviewee. He sent the video to celebrate the film team since he couldn’t attend the festival due to his Senate duty.
The atmosphere was for 100th/442nd veterans. Even the people who just came to enjoy the film festival and didn’t know anything about the Japanese American history couldn’t stop applauding after watching the film.
Theatre Information
Little Tokyo, Downtown Los Angeles: Aratani/Japan America Theatre, July 25 (Sunday), 11AM, 2PM, 5PM, www.jaccc.org, (213) 680-3700.
Aratani/Japan America Theatre is located at 244 South San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
South Bay, Los Angeles: Warner Grand Theatre, July 31 (Saturday), 11AM, 2PM, 5PM, www.warnergrand.org, (310)548-7672.
Warner Grand Theatre is located at 478 West 6th Street, San Pedro, CA 90731.
Orange County: Star Plex Cinemas, August 7 (Saturday), and 8 (Sunday), 11AM, 2PM, 5PM, www.starplexcinemas.com/1013.php, (949)733-3795
Star Plex Cinemas is located at 4626 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, CA 92604.
San Diego: Museum of Photographic Arts, August 21 (Saturday) and August 22 (Sunday) “442” will be playing with "Toyo's Camera." "Toyo's Camera" at 11 AM, 3:20PM. “442” at 1:10PM, 5:30PM, www.mopa.org, (619) 238-7559
Museum of Photographic Arts is located at 1649 El Prado, in Balboa Park, San Diego, CA 92101.
All tickets are $10.00 (advance purchase) $13.00 (at the door)
Further info can be found at www.442film.com
Tickets are also available at: All American Tickets, (888)507-3287, www.allamerican-tkt.com and Japanese bookstores. The official website of the film is www.442film.com
442-Live with Honor, Die with Dignity is the second installment of the Japanese American trilogy following the previous documentary film, Toyo’s Camera – Japanese American History during WWII. Suzuki and UTB, a bilingual Japanese television station in Los Angeles have produced the feature documentary film collaborating with the music of the Grammy and Golden Glove awards winner Kitaro again.
During World War II, soldiers of the 442nd Infantry Regiment, composed mainly of Japanese Americans, fought not only against the enemy, but fought against prejudice, facing severe racial discrimination in their homeland.
In these harsh times however, the 442nd became one of the most decorated regiments for its size and length of service in the history of the U.S. military.
The 442nd was in an ironic predicament, fighting for a country that had branded them as enemies. However, these young men volunteered to fight and prove their loyalty as patriotic Americans, which defined their identity as they risked their lives for the cause. The veterans say that no one expected to come home again from the battlefield.
The veterans of 442nd RCT and their family went a tip to Europe. During the trip they visited the places that were once the battlefield they fought and lost their fellow soldiers. They were welcomed by the residents and the community in towns as heroes who saved the people of the town at the wartime. After coming back from Europe, the crew of the film continues to record some veterans’ daily lives; Mr. Steve Shimizu’s family in Southern California, Mr. Lawson Sakai’s family in North California and Mr. Akagi’s family in Utah.
Film director Suzuki finds some changes in the relationship between the veterans and their family after the trip. For many family members, it was the first time the veterans shared the experience with them.
The length of the film will be approximately 97 minutes and the format is high definition, color and B/W, 16:9.
Beside the interviews of the veterans and their families, the precious archival footage of WWII and the beautiful locations in Europe attracts the audience.
The film crew had several location shootings at such places as Europe, Hawaii, San Francisco, Utah, Washington and Los Angeles.
They visited Hawaii to interview U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye; the 442nd veterans who received the Medal of Honor. In Los Angels, they filmed the actor George Takei whose parents were caught in the internment camp.
Many 442nd soldiers of the mainland were from the internment camps. They also interviewed the director of Museum of Tolerance; an internationally renowned human rights organization dedicated to promoting respect and mutual understanding.
There is a remarkable, but not well known incident between Japanese American soldiers and Jewish people during WWII. The 522nd Field Artillery Battalion of 442nd combat team liberated Jewish survivors of the Landsberg-Kaufering Dachau Death March and Dachau sub-camps.
It was also one of the first allied troops to help liberate the Dachau sub-camps and the only Japanese American combat unit to fight on German soil.
What these soldiers won was not only the victory of the nation, but also the human rights for the children of the future in this country. What the audience witness in the film is not just the Japanese American history, but also the history of American democracy.
