Minoru: Memory of Exile combines classical animation with archival material, and narrated by Minoru Fukushima. Directed by Michael Fukushima, Minoru’s son, the film shows the memories of a father interspersed with the voice of the son, weaving a tale of a birthright lost and recovered. The bombing of the American naval base at Pearl Harbor thrust 9-year-old Minoru Fukushima into a world of racism so malevolent he would be forced to leave Canada, the land of his birth. Like thousands of other Japanese Canadians, Minoru and his family were branded as an enemy of Canada, dispatched to internment camps in British Columbia and finally deported to Japan. The 19 minute film has received numerous awards.

Watch more stories about WWII and internment camps: 442-Live with Honor, Die with Dignity, The Bridge : short film, Secret Identities – 9066, and Norman Y. Mineta: A Boy from San Jose.

Minoru: Memory of Exile – short film