L.A. Harbor International Film Fest to Screen ‘Rebel with a Cause’

Aiko Herzig Yoshinaga (1925-2018)

The 16th annual L.A. Harbor International Film Festival (LAHIFF) presents the Port of Los Angeles premiere of “Rebel with a Cause: The Life of Aiko Herzig Yoshinaga” (2016, 88 minutes) on Sunday, March 17, at 1 p.m. (doors open at 12:30 p.m.) at the Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St. in San Pedro.

The documentary reveals the story of Aiko Herzig Yoshinaga’s role in the effort to gain redress and an official apology for Japanese Americans who were unlawfully imprisoned and deprived of their property during World War II. She did research for the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians and was instrumental in the coram nobis cases of Fred Korematsu, Gordon Hirabayashi and Minoru Yasui as well as the class-action suit filed by the National Council for Japanese American Redress.

The acclaimed film was featured in the 2016 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.

The filmmaker, Janice D. Tanaka, and one of Herzig Yoshinaga’s daughters, Lisa Furutani, will be present for Q&A after the screening.

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.

The closing program forDocSunday is the Port of Los Angeles premiere of “Stories of the Los Angeles Harbor Area: For Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow” (2017, 90 minutes), produced by Jack Baric and Stephanie Mardesich, directed by Baric, at 4 p.m. (doors open at 3:30 p.m.).

The “Stories of the Los Angeles Harbor Area: For Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow” (SOLAHA) oral history project, filmed in 2018, aims to preserve the significant history of the people and communities that span from the port towns of San Pedro and Wilmington to include Lomita, Harbor City and the Palos Verdes Peninsula, recognizing what is inherent to inspire future generations to continue striving to make it a great place to live, work, and invest in as the area continues to progress. Twenty individuals participated.

The movie is a composite including one representative anecdote from each participant to demonstrate and instill the importance of retaining memories of the past for the present and future. Volume I is the first-ever oral history project under the auspices of Los Angeles County made possible through grant funding by Supervisor Janice Hahn, District 4. Plans are under way for Volume II, to be recorded within 2019.

The director, producers and participants will take part in a Q&A after the screening.

Admission is $10 general; $8 for students, seniors and affiliates (Los Angeles Maritime Museum, Grand Vision Foundation, Hollywood Heritage); free for veterans and those currently serving in the military.

For tickets to all LAHIFF programs from Feb. 14, call (800) 838-3006, visit www.brownpapertickets.com or go to the box office one hour prior to showtime (cash sales only). For more information, go to www.laharborfilmfest.com.

Terminal Island Exhibit

Before or after the “Rebel with a Cause” screening, visit the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, located near the Warner Grand Theatre at Berth 84, foot of 6th Street. Hours on Sunday: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Suggested donation: $5 adults, $3 seniors, free for children 12 and under.

Featured exhibit: “Tāminaru: A Day in the Life of a Japanese American Fishing Village.” Guest-curated by author Naomi Hirahara and sponsored by Friends of LAMM and the Japan Business Association, the exhibit, which opened in April 2017, documents the lives of those residing on Terminal Island, located across the main channel from San Pedro, during the mid-20th century when T.I. was home to approximately 3,000 Japanese Americans who worked predominantly in the fishing and canning industries.

Known as “Terminal Islanders,” they retained their native language and customs, yet had close interaction with San Pedro and Wilmington. In response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the U.S. government uprooted the entire community to internment camps across the country. Though the village no longer exists, residents have never forgotten their beloved village, which they call “Furusato.”

For more information, visit www.lamaritimemuseum.org and www.terminalisland.org.