BETWEEN PICTURES: THE LENS OF TAMIO WAKAYAMA

“The film beautifully illustrates through interviews, animation, as well as the beautiful photographs Wakayama took, we see how Wakayama reconciles his early experiences with the internment, and his own cultural and political identity back in Canada.” Joseph Plant, The Commentary

Combining live action and animation, Cindy Mochizuki’s documentary tells the epic journey of the late Japanese Canadian photographer Tamio Wakayama who decided to join the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the deep south during the 1960’s American civil rights movement. Learning the art of dark room photography along the way, this transformative moment in time allows him to confront his own identity and return ‘home’ to the west coast of Canada to begin a body of photographic work that continues to celebrate, re-present and document the spirit of Japanese Canadians who resided in the former Paueru Gai/Powell Street neighborhoods.

The screening will be preceded by “The Shapes in Between: Norman Takeuchi”, a short film by Aki Takabatabe