ALTERNATIVE FACTS: THE LIES OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 9066

Filmmaker Jon Osaki traces the fraught racist history of the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans and untangles the intergenerational trauma of the decades-long redress movement. ALTERNATIVE FACTS: THE LIES OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 9066 offers damning proof that the signing of Executive Order 9066 was the result of political pressure and fabricated evidence of espionage by Japanese Americans. Interviews with the family members of prominent political officials and unsung heroes of redress like Aiko Herzig Yoshinaga illuminate the racism, xenophobia and backhanded political maneuvering led to the forcible internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans.

Bookended by fiery youth testimony, particularly that of Mika Osaki, we bear witness to the rage that often remains unexpressed by previous generations. With nods to the present-day ban on travel to the U.S. from some Muslim-majority countries, Jon Osaki makes a compelling case for solidarity and engagement in this deeply personal and political film. It won an Impact Docs Award and the Best Documentary award at the Political Edge Film Festival. — Sierra Lee

Co-presented by: Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, Asian and Pacific Islander Council of San Francisco (API Council), Japanese Community Youth Council, Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC), Nichi Bei Foundation

Preceded By

MINIDOKA

A young Seattle activist traces back his family history of incarceration during World War II and applies lessons learned to the politics of today.