Minidoka National HIstoric Site

North Shore produced two half hour theater films on the unconstitutional incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII, solely on the basis of race; both films are narrated by actor and activist George Takei. The films were produced for Minidoka National Historic Site: Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp plays in a theater at the former camp site near Twin Falls, Idaho. Bearing the Unbearable details the story of the Japanese American residents of Bainbridge Island, Washington, who were among the first to be forcibly removed from their homes by the U.S. government. The latter film was produced for the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial.

Both films are told in the eloquent first-person testimony of survivors of the camps, now in their eighties and nineties. They explore the lasting impact of incarceration on Japanese Americans, through decades of shame and silence and the campaign for redress from the American government. The films also highlight the relevance of their story for civil rights and equal justice issues today. 

North Shore is currently engaged in producing a series of short films and touchscreen interactives for the new visitor center at Minidoka NHS. We are also creating an independent hour-long television documentary on the Minidoka story, that will be broadcast nationally on public television.

Awards:

• Silver Telly Award

• NAI Media Award

• Gold Remi Award