PULLMAN, Wash. – A free, public screening of the Emmy-winning documentary, “Witness: The Legacy of Heart Mountain,” a panel discussion and reception will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, at Washington State University. It is in conjunction with the WSU art exhibition, “Roger Shimomura: An American Knockoff.”
The reception will be at 6 p.m. in the Museum of Art/WSU. The film will show at 7 p.m. in the CUB auditorium, followed by discussion with producers David Ono and Jeff MacIntyre and others.
The film tells the story of the Heart Mountain internment camp in Wyoming, where more than 10,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans were held behind barbed wire and guard towers during World War II.
Inside the camp, father and son George and Frank Hirahara had a secret darkroom under their barracks where they developed film and made photographic prints. They took thousands of photos in the camp, each a portrait of the daily struggle to make camp life bearable.
The documentary won three Emmy Awards in July. Ono won for outstanding writer – programming. MacIntyre won for outstanding editor – programming and outstanding videographer – single camera programming.
The production also won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association and a national Unity Award for diversity programming from the association.
The George and Frank C. Hirahara Photograph Collection is housed in Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections at the WSU Libraries, donated by Patti Hirahara to her father’s alma mater in honor of her father and grandfather.
Patti Hirahara, WSU professor John Streamas and others will join Ono and MacIntyre on the discussion panel.
Learn more about the film at http://www.heartmountain
film.com.
Since 1996, Ono has been co-anchor for ABC7 Eyewitness News in Los Angeles. MacIntyre is TV producer/ owner of Content Media Group, a Los Angeles-based production company. The two have traveled the world telling the stories of important events. Collectively, they’ve earned more than 25 Emmy Awards.
The Museum of Art/WSU gallery hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday and open until 7 p.m. Thursday. For more information, contact the museum at 509-335-1910 or visit http://museum.wsu.edu/events.html.
Contacts:
Debby Stinson, Museum of Art/WSU, 509-335-6282, debby_stinson@wsu.edu
Anna-Maria Shannon, Museum of Art/WSU, 509-335-6140, annamshannon@wsu.edu
Steve Nakata, director of marketing & communications, WSU Administrative Services, 509-335-1774, nakata@wsu.edu