P.O.V. - Rabbit in the Moon . About the Film


			Not all Japanese Americans endured their World War II internment with quiet stoicism. Not all second generation (Nisei) young men welcomed the chance to prove their patriotism by serving in the armed forces of the very government that was holding their families captive. A more complex, turbulent and intimate story of the internment camps is revealed through the stories shared by those interviewed in Emiko Omori's new film, "Rabbit in the Moon." "Rabbit in the Moon" uncovers a buried history of political tensions, social and generational divisions, and resistance and collaboration in the camps. With fascinating archival and recently recovered home movies, Omori and her older sister Chizuko, who were children when they went to the camps, also confront their own family secrets – especially the silence surrounding the death of their mother only a year after the family's release. They correspondingly confront the collective silence among Japanese Americans about the social antagonisms and insecurities that were born in the camps and that still haunt community life 50 years later. Storytellers interviewed in the film include: Ernest Besig: director, Northern California ACLU Frank Emi: Nisei, Heart Mountain – draft resistance organizer, judo instructor, political activist Aiko Herzig: Nisei, Manzanar; camp historian, political activist James Hirabayashi: Nisei, professor of anthropology and ethnic studies Hiroshi Kashiwagi: Nisei, Tule Lake – renunciate, writer Mits Koshiyama: Nisei, Heart Mountain – draft resistor Frank Miyamoto: Nisei, Tule Lake – professor of sociology Chizuko Omori: Nisei, Poston – oldest sister of filmmaker, writer James Omura: journalist Shosuke Sasaki: Issei, Minidoka – naturalized American, stock broker Harry Ueno: Kibei, Manzanar – kitchen manager/organizer arrested for challenging corruption of camp officials Hisaye Yamamoto: Nisei, Poston – writer Emiko Omori: Nisei, "Rabbit in the Moon" narrator, filmmaker The film may be purchased by high schools, public libraries, community groups and for home use by individuals only at: www.rabbit-in-the-moon.org Colleges and Universities must may purchase or rent the film from New Day Films at: www.newday.com		T E R M S Issei: first-generation Japanese immigrants to America. Kibei: born in U.S., educated in Japan. Nisei: second generation, born in U.S. Sansei: children of the Nisei.
			A B O U T T H E F I L M M A K E R Emiko Omori, a native Californian, is a highly regarded cinematographer, writer, and director. In 1968, she was the first female news camera operator in San Francisco on the critically acclaimed KQED San Francisco program, "Newsroom." For the past 30 years she has freelanced as a cinematographer on many award-winning documentaries, features, industrials, commercials, and educational films. In 1990, she wrote and directed "Hot Summer Winds," a drama based on two short stories by acclaimed Nisei writer Hisaye Yamamoto. A co-production of American Playhouse and KCET Los Angeles, the film aired nationally on PBS in May 1991 to rave reviews. Omori's other personal films include "Tattoo City," a documentary about the art of full body, Japanese style tattooing, and "The Departure," a short narrative film. This year, Emiko Omori was the winner of a special award for Best Cinematography for "Rabbit in the Moon" and "Regret to Inform" at the Sundance Film Festival.