Directed by Myles Matsuno | United States | 2021 | 21 mins
Told through her grandson, First to Go: Story of the Kataoka Family captures the personal, raw, and inspiring story as a grandmother recounts her family legacy of having to endure the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II as well as her father being the first Japanese arrested by the FBI in San Francisco following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.
First To Go shines a light on a personal family story that is able to connect with many ethnicities. What started initially as a family heirloom for the director's family eventually became a film that was asked to be shared with a broader audience. What comes from this is a film that is not only educational but also shows that hope can come from dark places.
Study Materials and Artifacts available.