Takehashi Emiko and George Okunoyama
Our film features the voices of living witnesses, actors 奥の山ジョージ – George Okunoyama and 高橋エミ子 – Takehasi Emiko, who will guide us through their personal journeys since the making of the historic Kiku and Isamu as we examine the lives of the “hafu” left behind after the American occupation of Japan which ended in 1952.

Child actor, Takahashi Emiko, star of Kiku and Isamu, will be 76 years old in 2023.  Emiko now lives in Tokyo as a singer and a performer. She will talk about her experience of being a mixed-race child actor in the film, Kiku and Isamu. 73 year old George Okunoyama  presently lives in Osaka, Japan. He has also worked in the music business through his life.

Ethel L. Payne
The documentary will feature the reports of Ethel L. Payne, the First Lady of the Black Press and the first female African American woman journalist at the Chicago Defender and the White House. In 1948, she worked for the Army Special Services Club in Tokyo, and began the daring historic coverage of the treatment of African American troops and the tragic plight of mixed raced children born between these soldiers and Japanese women.

 このページを訳すTadashi Imai

Tadashi Imai is an award winning Japanese film director who rose to prominence through the commercial triumph of his film Green Mountains (青い山脈) which captured the spirit of the postwar era in Japan. Profoundly influenced by Italian Neorealism, he is known for crafting films that analyze social injustice and oppression as well as his semi-documentary approach involving on-location shooting such as “Kiku and Isamu”. It has been said that every ambitious actress aspired to appear in an Imai film in order secure prestigious accolades. His collaborations with screenwriter Yoko Mizuki played a significant role in his success.

水木 洋子, Yoko Mizuki

Playwright and screenwriter Yoko Mizuki wrote that her purpose in creating the character of Kiku in the film “Kiku and Isamu” was to challenge “shitty realism”. Known for her writings on social justice and women’s rights, Mizuki actively sought to avoid perpetuating victimized portrayals of mixed-race children during the casting process. The film, released in 1959, garnered critical acclaim for its powerful content and received numerous prestigious awards that year.

As one of the rare female screenwriters in the industry during that era, Mizuki’s name is credited in many noteworthy films from the 1950s. Her contributions included detailed, sensitive, and captivating depictions of women. She later earned the Kinema Junpo awards for Best Screenplay for her exceptional work on films such as “These Are Harbour Lights” (1961), “The Age of Marriage” (1961), and “Sweet Sweat and the internationally acclaimed, “Kwaidan.”

DEBORAH DeSNOO – Writer / Director
Based in Tokyo, Japan Deborah DeSnoo celebrates the diversity of a multicultural world and promotes work that initiates understanding and balance in the global environment. An award-winning film and theater director/ producer, and production coordinator, she produces, directs, and writes critically acclaimed films and videos that are known for their compelling visuals, evocative storytelling, and “putting a human face on historical events.” DeSnoo exploded into the international documentary scene when she partnered with award winning filmmaker, Lyn Goldfarb to co-produce, co-direct and co-write Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire, a three-part film series for PBS. It was nominated for an International Documentary Award.

FLOYD WEBB – Producer
Founder/Curator of Blacknuss.tv, his past work includes associate producer on Mansa Tiafa (2021), Space Moms (2020) and the award winning Julie Dash film, Daughters of the Dust (US 1992), Chicago producer of the American Masters film, The World of Nat King Cole (2006), and producer and director of music videos, short documentaries, and 3D animations projects. Floyd was also the Chicago production consultant on the 50th Anniversary of The March, a documentary film directed by John Akomfrah of U.K.-based Smoking Dogs Films, and co-produced by Robert Redford’s Sundance Productions, recounting the story behind the 1963 March on Washington. (floydwebb.com)

YUKI SOLOMON – Producer
Founder of Coyote Sun Productions (CSP), a Chicago-based film production company, and an associate producer at Full Spectrum Features, Solomon, former program director for NHK, currently works as a film producer, collaborating with filmmakers to create socially themed films. In 2020, Solomon co-produced an innovative feature documentary Mayday directed by Mariko Tetsuya. The film focuses on the universal human connection through food and depicts the isolation experiences of people in 10 countries on 5 continents during the world COVID-19 crisis. Solomon also participated in Mariko’s Japan-US co-production Coyote, which was produced in Chicago and Tokyo in 2019 and was released in theaters in the fall of 2021. (fullspectrumfeatures.com/yuki)

KAROL MARTESKO-FENSTER – Executive Producer
Karol is an Austrian-born American media industry innovator with broad motion picture, Internet, digital, broadcast, publishing, and event backgrounds. He produced over three dozen award-winning films and his career spans three decades including pioneering leadership in the American independent film sector. Karol is Partner/COO of Abramorama, Managing Partner of Thought Engine, and Partner and Head of Strategic Development at Theorem Studios. Previously he was President of Film for Michael Cohl’s S2BN Entertainment, Head of Film at Chris Blackwell’s Palm Pictures and President/Publisher of Silicon Alley Reporter. Karol has produced over 20 television and satellite broadcast music programs, multiple Webby Award-winning projects, and he co-founded Filmmaker Magazine and IndieWire. (www.karol.com)

DAVE IWATAKI – Music
Dave Iwataki is a highly accomplished musician with 30 years of experience. He excels in playing the keyboard and piano, composing, and arranging music. He has created community-centered projects like “The Healing Drums,” promoting harmony in Los Angeles through percussion traditions, “J-Town/Bronzeville Suite,” exploring lesser-known LA history, and “Barbed Wire and Hip Hop,” shedding light on Japanese American internment camps. Dave conceptualized these projects, wrote the music, and assembled the participants. His work received recognition, with performances at esteemed venues like The Getty Museum and the Japanese American National Museum.

ARK MIURA – Associate Producer
Born in 2003, She is founder of African Youth Meetup, a community for young people with African descent in Japan, co-director of the short documentary “Ark & Maya: All Mixed Up” which was screened at Tokyo Documentary Film Festival 2021. During her gap year after graduating high school, she chose to study movie-making by herself and several of her short films regarding mixed-raced identity were screened at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. In between, she also interviewed mixed-race people who were born during the American Occupation of Japan, including those who grew up in special orphanages set up for them. She hopes to learn more about filmmaking and storytelling through exploring topics that is close to her heart.

During the American Occupation of Japan following World War II, mixed-race births became a controversial issue. Some saw these children as a symbol of the United States’ presence in Japan, while others saw them as a way to promote international understanding and cooperation. However, many Japanese people viewed mixed-race children as a threat to traditional Japanese society and customs.

The issue of mixed-race children became particularly controversial because many of the fathers were African American soldiers stationed in Japan. The children born to these relationships were often discriminated against and faced social stigma in Japan. Some were even abandoned by their mothers and left to fend for themselves.

The American Occupation of Japan ended in 1952, but the issue of mixed-race children persisted. Many of these children were sent to the United States to be raised by their fathers or other family members, but many remained in Japan and faced ongoing discrimination. In recent years, there have been efforts to raise awareness about the struggles of mixed-race children in Japan and to promote acceptance and understanding. Overall, the issue of mixed-race births during the American Occupation of Japan highlights the complexities of race and identity and the ongoing struggles for acceptance and equality. It also serves as a reminder of the lasting impact of foreign military occupations and the need to address the needs and rights of all individuals affected by such conflicts.