“The Orange Story” (2016, 18 min.) by Erika Street Hopman. An elderly Japanese American shopkeeper must sell all his belongings and report to a temporary detention center during WWII, from where he will be forcibly removed to an undisclosed location.
The narrative shorts allow us to step back in time — creating a visceral experience of the sparse living quarters and barren desert, capturing the camaraderie and fractures that develop, and drawing us into the emotions of the characters. It is encouraging to see younger filmmakers remain connected to the stories of their ancestors.