Sansei Legacy will present “Japanese American Basketball” on Sunday, May 3, at 1 and 4 p.m. during the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival at the Japanese American National Museum’s Democracy Center, 100 N. Central Ave. in Little Tokyo.
This is the story of Japanese American youth basketball — who started this tradition going back over 100 years, and why. By the 1970s, Japanese American basketball became a cultural phenomenon. It’s estimated that over 20,000 kids compete annually in California alone. Today It’s a rite of passage with some families having played for five generations.
Directed by Mitchell Matsumura, whose other films also tell the stories of third-generation Japanese Americans: “Holiday Bowl,” “Japanese American Legacy on Wheels,” and “The Carry On Story.”
This screening is part of Digital Histories, an ongoing creative community of Asian American aunties and uncles turned documentary filmmakers. Supported by Visual Communications, these filmmakers hone their craft through theoretical and practical filmmaking workshops. In a year marked by social unrest, intense wildfires, and the quiet gravity of passing and transition, their practice became a sanctuary for collaboration and community. Together, their resilience brings to light stories that only they can tell.
The Class of ’26 lineup also includes:
“1970s: The Emergence of Filipino American Student Activism” by Roselyn Ibanez
“Bloom” by Gerri Adachi
“Conversation on the Wind” by Gary Fong
“Honoring Our Quiet Heroes” by Don Bannai
“Eat ’Em While They’re Hot” by Patty Fong
“Finding Private Omoto” by Cathy Uchida
“FWC Legacy” by Florante Ibanez
“Jeff Chop Is Missing?” by Jeff Chop
“Jichan’s Hands” by Teresa Matsushima
“Journeys for a Dream: Philippines to America” by Grace Nall
“More Than Drums” by Barbara Kagawa Shore
“My Adopted Family” by Tracy Quan-Nichols
“Popo Fights Back” by Fran Ito
“The Face of the Enemy” by Glen Tao
“The Leaving, Was the Love” by Bernice Ng
For tickets: https://festival.vcmedia.org/2026/programs/digital-histories-2026/
For info: sansei.legacy@gmail.com