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Two men with island ties are helping to develop a major television documentary series about Japanese Americans. Japanese-American
saga in the worksStar-Bulletin
Chris Conybeare, who is on the faculty at the University of Hawaii-West Oahu Center for Labor Education and Research, is a co-executive producer for "The Japanese American Saga," which is the working title for the KCTS/ Seattle Public Television project. Principal advisor is Franklin Odo, the former UH ethnic studies director who is now with the Smithsonian Institution's Asian Pacific American Studies Program.
The series will consist of three one-hour programs that will be produced in high-definition television, according to KCTS. There also will be an enhanced TV version to be used as an educational resource beyond the broadcast. Steven Okazaki, an independent filmmaker, also will be part of the project, Conybeare said.
Conybeare, who has studied and researched the subject for more than 20 years, is excited about the project. Although the history of Japanese and Japanese Americans is familiar in Hawaii, "it is an unknown story to most of the American public," he said.
Conybeare said the series will go beyond the World War II and internment camps to show the "good, the bad, the ugly and the wonderful" of the Japanese-American experience.
Hawaii plays a crucial role because Japanese immigrants first stopped here in their journeys to the West. Historic moments will be tied to personal stories.
The project is in its initial stage. The series will likely air in 2002.
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