For over a 100 years baseball has played an important role in the life of the Japanese-American community, especially during the internment during World War II. Two films -- one a documentary, one a fictional story -- celebrate this enduring legacy. They'll be shown at a festival this Sunday in Grass Valley.
Diamonds in the Rough: Zeni and the Legacy of Japanese-American Baseball honors Kenichi Zenimura, a talented player and respected manager, who worked tirelessly to promote the American Nisei Leagues. American Pastime is the story of a Japanese-American family who finds strength and self-respect in the internment camps through baseball.
Historian and producer of both films, Kerry Yo Nakagawa, will meet with the audience at the film festival. He was interviewed on a recent KXJZ Insight segment, which you can listen to here.
What: Two films on Japanese-American Baseball
Where: Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra, 360 Sierra College Dr., Grass Valley
When: Sept. 23, 2 p.m.
Cost: $15 in advance (call 530-265-5462). $18 at the door.
For more info: (530) 273-6362 or website
PHOTO CREDIT: Japanese-American internees watch and play baseball in 1943 at the Manzanar War Relocation Center. Photograph by Ansel Adams. (AP Photo/Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
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