The movie “Bokyo no Kane” (Nostalgic for Homeland), the tragic story of Japanese immigration to Manchuria during World War II, will be screened at three Southland locations.
Japan established the state of Manchukuo in northeast China and inner Mongolia from 1932 to 1945. Its aggressive resettlement policy victimized many poor Japanese?farmers and as well as the Chinese.
More than 25,000 people immigrated to Manchuria during the war and half lost their lives, most of them woman and children. This tragedy is a little-known part of WWII history.
Director Hisako Yamada, 85, decided that this story must be told.?She made this movie to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of the war.
This is the true story of villagers and a Buddhist priest who immigrated to Manchuria only three months before Japan lost the war. During their escape from the Russian army, families were torn apart; only one-third of the villagers made it back to Japan.
The priest was captured by the Russians and endured hard labor in Siberia for many years. When he returned home, he found out that his wife and two children had never come back. He started a long struggle to search for children left behind in China, at a time when Japan had no diplomatic ties with China.
This movie will will be shown with English subtitles at the following locations:
? Sunday, Aug. 25, at 2 p.m. (doors open at 1:30 p.m.) at Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple, 505 E. Third St., Little Tokyo. Info: (213) 626-4200
? Friday, Aug. 30,? at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) at New Gardena Hotel, 1641 W. Redondo Beach Blvd., Gardena. Info: (310) 378-3550
? Saturday, Sept. 7, at 2 p.m. (doors open at 1:30 p.m.) at Newport Beach Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple, 254 Victoria St., Costa Mesa. Info: (949) 722-1202
Ticket: $15. Call the venue to buy tickets or email [email protected].
Presented by the Committee for Showing the Movie “Bokyo no Kane.”