Japanese-American profile opens Peace Day film series
A film about treatment of Japanese-Americans in Hawaii after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor will be shown at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Moiliili Hongwanji Mission, 902 University Ave.
The showing of Tom Coffman's 2006 documentary "The First Battle" will be the first in a free film series to mark Peace Day.
The 2007 state Legislature established Sept. 21 as Peace Day in Hawaii, based on a proposal from the Hawaii Federation of Young Buddhist Associations. The date coincides with the United Nations International Day of Peace.
"It is important to give thought to peace and to create positive actions that nurture and educate about peace," said the Rev. Eric Matsumoto. "Nonviolence and the interconnection of our actions that affect one another are principles of Buddhism."
Matsumoto said each show will be followed by a discussion with audience participation. The series will continue at 7 p.m. each Tuesday in September. They are open to the public.
» Sept. 16 -- "Maya Lin, A Strong Vision" is about the designer of the Vietnam War Memorial.
» Sept. 23 -- "The Cats of Mirikitani" is a documentary about a survivor of a World War II internment camp who was rehabilitated by becoming an artist.
» Sept. 30 -- "Ashita" tells a story about life in Nagasaki before the United States dropped the atomic bomb. The film is in Japanese with no English subtitles.