First Shoot today on Kiku’s Legacy feature length documentary in Kita district, Tokyo, Japan with the 2 stars of the 1959 film, Kiku to Isamu.
I’m working remotely and director/producer Deborah DeSnoo, a long time resident of Tokyo is working with the production company, BTS to shoot the footage we need for our trailer.
Chicago-based co-producer, Yuki Solomon, flew over to assist Deborah. She speaks the language really helped speed things along while I prepare for the work we need to do here about black woman Journalist, Ethel Payne, the Chicago Defender Asian correspondent back in the day when the Black Press was that ambitious. Payne reported on the issues surrounding mixed race Occupation babies and sometimes acted as a go between helping grandmothers bring their Black Japanese grandchildren here. Ethel Payne’s story is fascinating and the stuff good feature films are made of. The Chicago connect is a key ingredient to the doc.
George Okunuyama, who portrayed Isamu, came from Osaka to be interviewed with Takahashi Emiko, Kiku. We are filming their interviews to make a narrative documentary, that’s look more like a feature film than documentary.
Here are some images from the shoot today.