‘Manzanar Fishing Club’ Event at Historic Site

INDEPENDENCE — Manzanar National Historic Site will host a special segment preview of the film “The Manzanar Fishing Club” on Saturday, Oct. 12.

The 29-minute preview will play in the West Theater at 11 a.m. and will be followed by a Q&A with director Cory Shiozaki and writer Richard Imamura. At 1 p.m., join Shiozaki, Imamura, and special guest Michael Nakamura (second-unit director of photography) in the Visitor Center parking lot for a guided driving and walking tour to key sites in Manzanar’s fishing history.

“The Manzanar Fishing Club” is a feature-length documentary chronicling the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans from a unique perspective: the eyes of those who defied the armed guards, barbed wire, and searchlights to fish for trout in the surrounding waters of the Eastern Sierra. Through emphasizing personal stories, the film shows how a courageous few were able to take back moments of dignity and freedom through the simple act of fishing.

Both Shiozaki and Imamura are avid fisherman whose parents were among the 120,000 Japanese Americans who were unjustly confined.

All programs are free and open to the public. Manzanar National Historic Site is located at 5001 Highway 395 in Independence. For more information, call (760) 878-2194, ext. 3310 or visit www.nps.gov/manz.