Baseball Behind Barbed Wire rhythmically paints the story of Japanese American incarceration during World War II through the lens of baseball, America's beloved pastime, with interviews and art by former incarcerees, animation, and archival film and photos. Despite being stripped of civil rights and confined from 1942-45, Japanese Americans embraced baseball to assert their citizenship and loyalty amid guard towers and barbed wire. Baseball Behind Barbed Wire centers on Arizona's Gila River Camp, vividly portraying key players Howard Zenimura and Tets Furukawa. Coach Kenichi Zenimura, known for playing with Babe Ruth, collaborated with Howard to build a diamond from stolen materials. This national pastime flourished in all ten camps, spanning California to Arkansas. Some camps had multiple fields and even thirty teams. In 1945, though liberated, Japanese Americans faced an uncertain "home." They rebuilt lives, embodying the Japanese spirit of "gaman" (endurance) and "gambaru" (to persevere). Throughout this arduous history, baseball remained an unwavering thread of resilience"--Good Docs website (viewed April 12, 2024 )
Notes
Title from title screen.
Originally produced as a documentary film in 2023.
Creation/Production credits
Producers, Yuriko Gamo Romer, Marc Smolowitz ; co producer, Loi Ameera Almeron ; editor, Shirley Thompson ; writer, Shirley Thompson ; director of cinematography, Andrew Black ; consulting producer: Abby Ginzberg
Participant(s)/Performer(s)
Kenso Howard Zenimura, Tetsuo Furukawa, Bill Staples Jr., Kerry Yo Nakagawa.
OCLC
1430224751
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