‘Legacy of Heart Mountain’ Featured at American Historical Assn. Film Fest

On behalf of the internees at Heart Mountain, Patti Hirahara recognized Jeff MacIntyre and David Ono in January at a special presentation in appreciation for the work they have done to tell the incarceration story. (Photo by Tomomi Kanemaru)

PULLMAN, Wash. — The Emmy Award-winning documentary “The Legacy of Heart Mountain,” co-produced by ABC7 Eyewitness News Los Angeles anchor David Ono and Content Media Group’s Jeff MacIntyre, was recently featured at the American Historical Association’s 130th annual meeting in Atlanta.

The AHA (http://historians.org) is the largest professional organization in the U.S. devoted to the study and promotion of history and historical thinking. It brings together historians from all specializations and professions to create a diverse and vibrant network of more than 14,000 historians.

The film was introduced to the AHA by Washington State University history professor Clif Stratton, recipient of AHA’s 2014 Eugene Asher Distinguished Teaching Award, and WSU donor Patti Hirahara, a Southern California resident whose father and grandfather documented life at the Heart Mountain camp in Wyoming through thousands of photographs, many of which are featured in the documentary.

“The Legacy of Heart Mountain,” which includes interviews with several Japanese Americans who were incarcerated there during World War II, has won three Emmys, a RTDNA (Radio Television Digital News Association) Edward R. Murrow Award, a RTDNA Unity Award and an AAJA (Asian American Journalists Association) Television Award.

Philip Ethington, professor of history at the University of Southern California, introduced the film and led the discussion.