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Unfinished Business (1985)
Director: Steven Okazaki
Producers: Steven Okazaki and Jane Kaihatsu
Length: 60 minutes
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Synopsis
This documentary follows the story of three Japanese Americans – Fred Korematsu, Min Yasui, and Gordon Hirabayashi – who were both imprisoned and interned during World War II. It also details the history of the Japanese Internment featuring archival footage and photos, and historical commentary. At the time the documentary was made, Korematsu, Yasui, and Hirabayashi are fighting (with the help of the younger generation of Japanese Americans) their respective court cases that were decided during the war to try and get both official recognition of and restitution for Japanese internment.
Significance
This documentary contains a long suppressed narrative and history of Japanese Americans. It contains equal parts personal stories and emphasizing the unfounded nature of discrimination against Japanese Americans by the U.S. government. Without being overly dramatized it gives a detailed account of both the actions by the government to move Japanese Americans to camps and personal commentary by those who lived through it. The generation after WWII picked up the legal battle to get some kind of recognition for their parents’ generation who fell into a collective, silent shame after being interned.