“Kikan: The Homecoming,” a film exploring the story of a Japanese American soldier during World War II, will be screened on Saturday, Oct. 2, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Japanese American National Museum’s Tateuchi Democracy Forum, First and Central in Little Tokyo.
A wartime promise sends Pvt. Jimmy Ibata of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team on a life-changing journey from the battlefields of Europe to San Francisco to complete his final mission of World War II. The all-Nikkei cast features Ryan Takemiya (“Valley of the Heart”), Ken Takeda, Anna Sun, Hiroshi Kashiwagi (“Infinity & Chashu Ramen”), and Chizu Omori (“Rabbit in the Moon”).
The post-screening discussion, moderated by Mitch Maki, CEO of Go For Broke National Education Center, will feature writer and director Kerwin Berk, director of photography Ben Arikawa, and actors Takemiya, Sun, and Kealoha Nakamura.
Berk’s other credits include “The Virtues of Corned Beef Hash,” “Infinity & Chashu Ramen,” “Whitney Chan and the Gang of Death,” and the TV series “Gold Mountain.” He is the founder of Ikeibi Films (https://ikeibifilms.com/), whose goal is for Asian Americans to tell their stories in their own voice, using their own talent in front of and behind the camera.
Admission is $16 general, free for JANM members. Complimentary admission to JANM’s exhibits is included. For more information, call (213) 625-0414 or visit www.janm.org.
This program is held in conjunction with the exhibition “A Life in Pieces: The Diary and Letters of Stanley Hayami.”