'A Flicker in Eternity' - Katy Geissert Civic Center LibraryNEW

A Flicker in Eternity will have its South Bay premiere on Saturday, June 8, 1 to 3 pm., at the Katy Geissert Civic Center Library, 3301 Torrance Bl, Torrance 90503. The event is co-sponsored by the Japanese American Historical Society of Southern California and the Torrance Public Library.

A Flicker in Eternity is a documentary that tells the true World War II story of Stanley Hayami, a talented young teenager caught between his dream of becoming an artist and his duty to his country. Based on Stanley's diary and letters archived at the Japanese American National Museum, this coming-of-age tale chronicles Stanley's life behind barbed wire and as a soldier who was part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The film captures this young man's humor and imagination through endearing cartoons and witty observations that provide a firsthand look at the indignity of incarceration and the tragedy of war.

This 26-minute film, produced by Ann Kaneko and Sharon Yamato, received the Best Documentary Short at the Asians on Film Festival.  The story was written by Joanne Oppenheim and Sharon Yamato, with voiceovers by actors Aaron Yoo (Stanley) and Amy Hill (older sister, Sach).

Out of Infamy: Michi Nishiura Weglyn by filmmaker Sharon Yamato will also be shown. Michi Nishiura Weglyn's landmark book, Years of Infamy: The Untold Story of America's Concentration Camps, jumpstarted the redress and reparations movement for more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent, most of them American citizens, who had been forcibly removed from their homes and businesses during World War II to live in barbed wire camps.  The film gives an intimate look at the life of Weglyn. 

Because of limited seating, reservations are required.  Calls must be made during business hours, 9 am-4 pm, to library staff at (310) 618-5945 by June 5.  All names will be required, not the number of people (e.g. NOT "John Smith and 2 people" but "John, Mary, Scott Smith).  Messages left on voicemail must have a contact phone number to have reservations confirmed. On the day of the program, reserved seats must be claimed no later than 12:45 p.m.; otherwise, those seats will be given away to any stand-bys.