Featuring short films by four Japanese Canadian filmmakers from across the country. The program will end with a short talkback with all artists, moderated by local filmmaker Ashey Sugimoto. 

Echoes of the Tide from Craig Madokoro (Vancouver, BC) is a quiet, intimate animated short set in British Columbia during World War II and follows Jitsuji, a Japanese Canadian shipbuilder, his wife and young son Hiro as their coastal life is shattered by forced internment. 

Inverse Journey from Laura Shintani (Toronto, ON) follows the artist as she collects and assembles pieces of a torii gate across historically and personally significant sites: Hastings Park, Tashme, Esquimalt Gorge Park & Pavilion and Nikkei No Haka Japanese Cemetery — culminating in the shallow waters of Ross Bay.   

Ramen Boys from Jason Sakaki (Vancouver, BC) follows Kevin finally taking a chance to connect with James, the lifeguard he’s admired from afar, leading to an extremely expected first kiss and a summer of love and laughter. 

Rei by Connor Morton (Toronto, ON) is a documentary about the filmmaker’s grandmother and her life, from internment to becoming a fashion illustrator and finishing university despite a world filled with male chauvinism and rigid gender roles.