2022 | United States | Documentary

Omoiyari: A Song Film by Kishi Bashi

  • 97 mins
  • Director | Kaoru Ishibashi, Justin Taylor Smith

STATUS: In Distribution

This film is currently not available.   

Violinist and songwriter Kaoru Ishibashi travels on a musical journey to understand WWII era Japanese Incarceration, assimilation, and what it means to be a minority in America today. When a media interview links the muslim ban and the immigration crisis at the USA-Mexico border with the incarceration of Japanese-Americans during WWII, Ishibashi goes on a journey to learn about this history and its relevance. Along the way, he improvises and writes music in an effort to better understand his own identity as a bi-cultural American. Using never before seen archival footage from the camps, mixed with breathtaking visual storytelling, Kaoru weaves a story using history, music and current events to create a portrait of America from the perspective of someone caught between two worlds.

 

documentary songwriter Violinist musical journey travel America immigration crisis history cultural visual storytelling portrait