Excerpt: HITO HATA: RAISE THE BANNER by Duane Kubo and Robert Nakamura

Completed in 1980 as the crown jewel in Visual Communications' multi-program series "The Nation Builders," HITO HATA: RAISE THE BANNER is the organization's first foray into long-form narrative filmmaking. Having proven a success with the short documentary form as a catalyst for educational use and advocacy, Visual Communications co-founders Duane Kubo and Robert Nakamura set out to tackle the feature format, calling upon a plethora of cinematic and community talents. The story, led by a cast including legendary APA acting luminaries as Mako, Pat Morita, and Yuki Shimoda, drew upon the realities of Little Tokyo redevelopment struggles throughout the 1970s and the displacement of longtime Japanese American residents as gentrification set in. Debuting to a capacity audience at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, HITO HATA was screened the world over, and is in part responsible for the creation of "The Friends of Visual Communications," an ad-hoc support group that devised a pioneering national premiere strategy that is still used today. This excerpt from the 94 minute film depicts the first meeting of Oda (Mako) and Tatsumi (Hiroshi Kashiwagi), two Issei laborers, during the 1934 Nisei Week Grand Parade. To execute this scene and others like it throughout the film required the consent and goodwill of local Little Tokyo businesses to allow street closures of Little Tokyo to allow filming — a policy that was rarely granted by Little Tokyo businesses even today.

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