Nisei Bowl

It’s Wednesday morning at the Bonwood Bowl in Salt Lake City, Utah and the senior bowlers file into their weekly ritual. Strikes, cheers, and candy circle the lanes. The Salt Lake Nisei show how youthful growing old can be. Their spirit and stories weave a history — then and now — of the Japanese American community in Salt Lake City. A heartwarming portrait of age, friendship, and perseverance.

About the Director
Alli Nakamura is a fourth-generation Japanese American from Salt Lake City, Utah. Her photography and filmmaking focus on stories of process, community, and identity. She takes on an observational and humanistic approach to storytelling. She wanted “Nisei Bowl” to be an intimate portrait of the Utah Nisei community she grew up around. She currently resides in Los Angeles as a designer.

Plays in

VIRTUAL-ONLY PROGRAM: Life After Camp

Due to the vast number of entries this year, the Films of Remembrance Committee could not accommodate many of the films submitted for consideration due to limited programming time at our in-person screenings. However, we thought the following films were worthy enough to include as a special virtual-only program, making them accessible throughout the world. From the rare nature of Monterey, Calif. citizens to publicly welcome Japanese Americans back from concentration camps, to a coming-of-age documentary of a camp survivor-turned-activist, to the heartwarming joys of senior bowlers who continued to bowl in Salt Lake City, Utah into their 90s, these films provide unique glimpses of life after camp.