Hito Hata: Raise the Banner

Hito Hata: Raise the Banner

Restoration World Premiere

Restoration World Premiere 

A landmark project, Hito Hata: Raise the Banner is the first feature-length film made about Asian Pacific Americans by Asian Pacific Americans. Produced by Visual Communications and co-directed by Robert Nakamura and Duane Kubo, the film stars Mako (Supporting Actor Oscar nominee for The Sand Pebbles) as Oda, an elderly resident of Little Tokyo who reminisces on his life in the neighborhood, from his early days as a new immigrant through his time being interned during World War II to the rapid gentrification of downtown Los Angeles.  

Note by Academy Museum Senior Director, Film Programs Bernardo Rondeau.
DIRECTED BY: Robert Nakamura, Duane Kubo. WRITTEN BY: John Esaki, Robert A. Nakamura. WITH: Mako, Pat Morita, Hiroshi Kashiwagi. 1980. 86 min. USA. Color. English, Japanese. DCP. The 4K restoration is funded by the National Film Preservation Foundation, with additional support from funders of the Visual Communications Archives (Aratani Foundation, California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, California Humanities, Haynes Foundation, and Mellon Foundation).
Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.

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