Short Films Tackle Serious Subjects

The Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League held a screening and discussion of two short films on May 21 at Merit Park Recreation Hall in Gardena. Cathy Uchida (second from left) showed “Not Just Gardening,” which was about the contributions that Nisei gardeners made not only to landscaping but also to their children’s future success. Larry Furukawa (second from right) showed “Breaking Happiness: A Japanese American Family’s Struggle with a Rare Disease,” which was about DRPLA (dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy), a rare genetic disease that afflicts people age 30 or younger with seizures and loss of muscle control. Both filmmakers are retired high school biology teachers. They are pictured with Janet Okubo (left) and Louise Sakamoto (right) of GLA JACL. (J.K. YAMAMOTO/Rafu Shimpo)