History, War and migration
MATSUBAYASHI Yojyu
This documentary follows the activity of the Okinawa Immigration research team. In the Battle of Okinawa during WWII, many Okinawans lost their families. Some of the survivors moved to Brazil while they were still young. Now that they have established themselves and have a stable life, some are trying to put a spotlight on and document the buried history of Nikkei immigrants.
Stories include memories of the Battle of Okinawa, the forced evacuations to Brazil, and how they survived and recovered from the struggles and discriminations during the war. Very little is known about this incident and there is no detailed record of these events.
This documentary gives another look at Okinawa from the perspectives of people in the world¡¯s two largest Okinawan communities. It connects the past and the future of immigrants based on Santos, Brazil and Okinawa, Japan. Finally, the Okinawa research team will visit to USA to find evidences of these events.
MATSUBAYASHI Yojyu
Born 1979 in Fukuoka, Japan. In 2004, he completed his graduation film Dear Respectful Humans, a documentary about a homeless man, and started his career as assistant director at a TV production company. His documentary was completed in 2009 as the film Flowers and Troops. The film was acclaimed and received the Yamaji Fumiko Film Prize and Tahara Soichiro Non-fiction Prize. His first feature documentary after the 311 tsunami and nuclear disaster Fukushima – Memories of the Lost Landscape was invited to Yamagata, Hong Kong, Edinburgh, and other film festivals. The Horses of Fukushima (2013) Fukushima – Memories of the Lost Landscape (2011) Flowers and Troops (2009) Dear Respectful Humans (2004)