Defiant to the Last: Resistance at the Tule Lake J*il - CAAMFest

Watch Defiant to the Last: Resistance at the Tule Lake J*il, a documentary that uncovers the history of resistance at the Tule Lake Segregation Center and highlights the Japanese Americans who were punished for speaking out against wartime incarceration. Stay for a panel discussion with Barbara Takei, Dr. Satsuki Ina and Emiko Omori, moderated by CAAM Executive Director Donald Young, followed by an audience Q&A.

NR, 37 mins., 2025. Closed captions (CC) in English.

Emiko Omori is a filmmaker and cinematographer whose work explores the history and legacy of Japanese American incarceration. Her documentary , co-produced with Chizu Omori, received a national Emmy and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Barbara Takei is a Sansei public historian whose work focuses on Japanese American history and social movements. She has been active in community-based research and education, drawing on her early involvement in the Asian American movement in the late 1960s by revolutionary thinker Grace Lee Boggs and is a graduate of Howard University, an HBCU.

is a psychotherapist, filmmaker and community activist who focuses on trauma and social justice. She co-founded Tsuru for Solidarity and has produced award-winning documentaries on Japanese American incarceration, including and From a Silk Cocoon.

Connect: Defiant to the Last - Website | Emiko and Chizuko Omori Collection - Website

Celebrating its 44th year in 2026, is the nation’s leading showcase for films from Asian America and beyond. This year’s festival takes place May 7-10 in San Francisco Japantown, the nation’s largest, longest-running festival dedicated to showcasing new Asian American and Asian films. Presented annually by the , this San Francisco Bay Area event celebrates AAPI Heritage Month through film screenings, panels, and special events.

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