Namba (2022)
NAMBA tells the American story of May Namba, born in 1922 to Japanese immigrants. During WWII, 125,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated, including the Namba family. May’s granddaughter, Miyako, narrates and guides us through her grandmother’s experiences living at Minidoka. Miyako packs a suitcase heart-wrenchingly contemplating the most important belongings to bring to the prison camp. She makes a mattress out of hay and lays down in a horse stall to use as a bed, just as her grandmother did. Throughout the film May and Miyako share this complex history—the injustice and love of country—that’s rarely discussed in history books.
Director: Emily Hanako Momohara
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May Namba as |
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Miyako Namba as |
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Bill Tashima as |
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Bif Brigman as |
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Neil King as |
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Aaren Purcell as |
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Anna Hostica Tamura as |
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Dr. Tetsuden Kashima as |
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Jim Namba as |
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Hanako Wakatsuki Chong as |
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Rhee Lightner as |
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Sam Herbers as |
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Andrea Phantu as |
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Spencer Whitehead as |
| Editing | Jim Bailey | Colorist |
| Sound | Joe X Jiang | Sound Editor |
| Production | Emily Hanako Momohara | Producer |
| Directing | Emily Hanako Momohara | Director |
| Sound | Simon Tam | Music |
| Sound | Joe X Jiang | Music |
| Editing | Emily Hanako Momohara | Editor |
| Editing | Mika Yatsuhashi | Editor |