"It's not your position in Life that counts.
 It's your disposition!" - Yuri Kochiyama

WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR, MOMMY?: KOCHIYAMA'S CRUSADERS is sponsored by Fractured Atlas, a 501(c)(3) national non-profit artist service organization. A PORTION OF YOUR CONTRIBUTION IS ELIGIBLE FOR TAX DEDUCTION! You receive a receipt when you donate ANY amount. See sidebar for perks!

We welcome feedback, comments, future interviewees and volunteers! Please also visit us at KOCHIYAMA'S CRUSADERS: THE FILM and contact us at memoircity@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter @Kochiyama_Film. Please "LIKE" us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CrusadersFilm

(L-R) Linda Wang, Pisha Warden, Connie Kim and Chanelle Yang (BITS OF PARADISE - The Marsh Theater)

WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR, MOMMY?: KOCHIYAMA'S CRUSADERS will weave together moments of History, Art, Activism, Love and Passion to honor The Crusaders. Led by future civil rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Yuri Kochiyama (née “Mary Nakahara”), these girls and women of the World War II Japanese American internment camps embarked on a war effort that boosted the morale of “any soldier in need of a letter.”

IT'S TIME TO MOVE THESE HEROINES OFF THE CURB

AND PARADE THEM DOWN MAIN STREET!

So far we have logged 40 hours of shooting time. We began in '08 with out-of-pocket money and in-kind crew contributions, but we really need your help to complete the next production and post-production phases and make this film a reality! Full details on our proposed Four Phases of this production are below.

Mary Nakahara with kids at Camp Jerome.

WHO WERE THE CRUSADERS?
The Crusaders was the brainchild of 20-year-old Mary Nakahara who birthed the movement during her internment at the Santa Anita Assembly Center at the start World War II when her future husband, Bill Kochiyama, told her that he felt sorry for his fellow soldiers who were not getting any mail.

As the War progessed, The Crusaders hailed from all the U.S. concentration camps and supported hundreds of soldiers, many of whom fought in the 442nd Infantry, the most decorated U.S. World War II military unit of its size.

NOW A MESSAGE FROM HISTORY 101...
The euphemism “assembly center” was coined by the U.S. Government for the makeshift barebones prisons where Japanese Americans were forcibly held under President Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066 while the country was at war with Japan in 1942. Later the "internees" were moved into U.S. concentration camps located in desolate areas.
Internees were American, not Japanese. Their only "crime" was Japanese heritage.

WHAT'S UNIQUE ABOUT THIS FILM?There has never been a film about The Crusaders. They disbanded on V-Day and like the iconic Rosie the Riveter, stepped back into more traditional supportive roles as their heroes returned.

Likewise there has also never been a film made about the early years of Yuri Kochiyama. Previous documentaries focused on her political life. This film will look at the experiences that molded Crusader Mary Nakahara into the warm, caring woman and multi-layered human being who became known as Yuri Kochiyama.
By the time we interviewed her at age 87, Yuri Kochiyama had married the love of her life, presided over a large family, lost loved ones, held Malcolm X's head while he died, participated in countless protests and was writing morale-boosting letters to 200 political prisoners. And she had been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

THE FILM
We began shooting in '08 and are seeking completion funding in three more phases. Structurally this layered film will:
*Honor The Crusaders who were all ages and included women who primatily helped mass produce these Missives of Hope (e.g., church secretaries with mimeographs).

Connie Kim (BITS OF PARADISE, Marsh Theater production)

*Focus on the bond that developed between marriage-age women and soldiers through these often surprisingly lighthearted, poetic, sometimes silly, flirtatious cards and letters. Contrasting youthful desires with the harsh reality of war.

*Examine how Japanese American women's cultural roles changed via World War II--what remained of those changes after the War--and what legacy The Crusaders left behind for future generations of women.

(L-R) Gloria Steinem, Aileen Hernandez, Dolores Huertes, and Yuri Kochiyama ("Four Legends" Panel, Engage Her Conference, Berekely, California)

*Extend History through Art by intercutting real-life moments with moments from Marlan Warren's play BITS OF PARADISE (inspired by The Crusaders Scrapbook in the Los Angeles Japanese American National Museum).

From (L) to (R): Pisha Warden, Linda Wang, Chanelle Yang, Jean Franco, and Connie Kim. BITS OF PARADISE (The Marsh Theater, San Francisco)

How Your Contributions Will Help
The film is being made in 4 proposed phases. Phase 1 has already been accomplished. We have logged over 40 hours of shooting time and already have a significant amount of material.

Your donations will go towards completing Phase 2. Production costs include crew and equipment.

We still need to accomplish the following before post-production can begin. Here's our wish list. Whatever isn't accomplished will roll over into our Phase 3 Campaign. Phase 4 will aim for post-production costs to make a rough cut and final edit.

1. Pickups at the Japanese American Museum in San Jose with the "second" Crusaders Scrapbook donated by Ruth Ishizaki (creator of both scrapbooks), including any additional interviews in the Bay Area.
2. Interviews with more surviving Crusaders and Japanese American World War II veterans; internment artists; and Asian Studies/Women's Studies professors or authors. Most will be interviewed in Los Angeles area or by Skype.
3. A shoot at the Japanese American National Museum covering The Crusaders scrapbook existence in its archives and how intiial research was made in 2001.
   
4. Shooting moments from the play on a sound stage or theater plus recording audio moments from it to intercut with moments from the original performance and real moments from interviews and historical archival footage.
5. Editing the next Indiegogo Campaign pitch trailer. We still have to pay for this one!
   

Who We Are

           (L) Marlan Warren (M) Yuri Kochiyama (R) Ruth Ishizaki
            Opening Night: "Bits of Paradise" (The Marsh Theater)

"BITS OF PARADISE places its footprint on the timeline of a much needed theatrical examination of the Asian American journey." - Asian Week

Hello there!

I'm Marlan Warren, the Executive Producer, Writer, and Co-Director for WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR, MOMMY?: KOCHIYAMA'S CRUSADERS. In '01, I began researching The Crusaders scrapbook at the Japanese American National Museum and received permission from the museum to adapt the material for an educational play. For the full story on how this play grew into a film, please visit our website at KOCHIYAMA'S CRUSADERS: THE FILM.

When I interviewed Yuri, I asked, "What motivates you?" She replied, "When I see things that need to be corrected."
I ask myself the same question. I did lose family members at the World War II Auschwitz concentration camp and my father fought in that war. But my interest in the Japanese Internment ignited in '95 when a friend showed me the letters his uncle had written to his interned family before he was killed in the famous battle depicted in the film “Go for Broke," and it made a huge impact on me.

Most importantly, what has driven my passion for this project is my admiration for The Crusaders and Ms. Kochiyama who had me at...

"CARRY ON"!

Meet the Team!

Los Angeles Area Unit
Our SoCal crew is small but determined! We will increase in number with your donations, expediting the completion of this film.

Co-Producer/Co-Director/Scriptwriter: Marlan Warren - A filmmaker and graduate of USC Film School, Warren's independent films have been shown at international film festivals. As a journalist, playwright, novelist, and blogger, her themes often address multicultural issues. She is a graduate of USC Film School (Screenwriting).
 

Line Producer: Tom Tsuji
A U.S. Army veteran and Los Angeles native whose family members were interned at Manzanar, Tsuji brings not only deep feeling for the project, but also his extensive management experience and marketing skills.

Editor:
Lindsey Myers – Very busy professional editor whom we are lucky to have on board. In collaboration with writer Marlan Warren, Myers created this moving first pitch video trailer. She is co-owner of Almost Fairytales Films.

Bay Area UnitAfter logging 40 hours of shoots, our Bay Area Crew has mostly disbanded. They worked tirelessly with good humor, contributing professional skills and devotion. Hopefully some can join us for the next Phase. For more info, please visit our website at KOCHIYAMA'S CRUSADERS: THE FILM. 

Co-Producer/Director/Camera: Chong Lee

Co-Producer/Writer: Marlan WarrenSecond Camera: John Quick
Sound and B-Roll Camera: Ryan Carbrey
B-Roll Camera: Nani Walker

Jumping Barbed WireWhy we need stories of fearless risk-takers and history-makers like The Crusaders and Yuri Kochiyama

We'd like to share with you the following statistics from the ALICE WALKER: BEAUTY AND TRUTH Indiegogo Site:

"Funding independent film is an uphill climb at the best of times but for women it is no picnic. If we look at the startling fact that only 7% of directors, 13% of writers, and 20% of producers are female, it’s not hard to see what we are up against. Given such a dearth of female representation behind the camera, is it any wonder that we continue to struggle to find funding for female stories and voices? We want all women and girls to be empowered, to believe in their own voices and their own truths."

Hi All:

Below is a draft for the Indiegogo Page for my documentary film. Suggestions welcome!

====================================================== 

WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR, MOMMY?: KOCHIYAMA'S CRUSADERS is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for this film must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

=============================================

It's time to get these unsung heroines off the curb and parade them down “Main Street!”

WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR, MOMMY?: KOCHIYAMA'S CRUSADERS will weave together moments of History, Art, Activism, Love and Passion to honor The Crusaders. Led by future civil rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Yuri Kochiyama (née “Mary Nakahara”), these girls and women of the World War II Japanese American internment camps embarked on a war effort to boost the morale of “any soldier in need of a letter.”

The Crusaders was the brainchild of 20-year-old future Nobel Peace Prize nominee Yuri Kochiyama (née “Mary Nakahara”) who birthed the movement during her internment at the Santa Anita Assembly Center at the start World War II when her future husband, Bill Kochiyama, told her that he felt sorry for his fellow soldiers who were not getting any mail.

As the War progessed, The Crusaders soon hailed from all the U.S. concentration camps and supported hundreds of soldiers.

For those of you who may not know, the euphemism “assembly center” was coined by the U.S. Government for the makeshift barebones prisons where Japanese Americans were forcibly held under President Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066 while the country was at war with Japan in 1942. Later the "internees" were moved into U.S. concentration camps in desolate areas. The majority were American, not Japanese. Their only crime was having Japanese heritage.

Why this story? Why now?
Their story is not theirs alone. It is not a Japanese American story. It is not a World War II story. Oppression can threaten any one of us at any time. Their story could be our story.

This film will also give viewers a rare peek at renowned civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama's early years: when she was a young Sunday School teacher in love with a soldier.  

 

  "It's not your position in life that counts. It's your disposition."
                   - Mary Nakahara (aka Yuri Kochiyama)

The excellent documentaries that have already been made about Ms. Kochiyama focus on her as a political being. This film will be stand apart in its examination of the early years that molded her into the warm, caring woman and multi-layered human being that the world came to know as "Yuri Kochiyama."

The Film 

We began shooting in '08 and are seeking completion funding. This layers of this full-length feature film will:

• Honor The Crusaders who were all ages and included women who primarily helped mass produce these Missives of Hope (e.g., church secretaries).
  
• Focus on the bond that developed between marriage-age women and soldiers through these often surprisingly lighthearted, poetic, sometimes silly, flirtatious cards and letters. Contrasting youthful desires with the hard reality of war's death and destruction as detailed in some soldiers' letters. (We will not reveal identities or recognizable authors without permission).

Connie Kim (BITS OF PARADISE, The Marsh Theater)

<

• Examine how Japanese American women's cultural roles changed via World War II; what remained of those changes after the War; and what legacy The Crusaders left behind for future generations of women.
  
  
  

• Extend History through Art. This film grew out of Marlan Warren's play BITS OF PARADISE--a collage of voices and music inspired by the Crusaders Scrapbook at the Japanese American National Museum. We will blend moments from the play with real-life moments from history and interviews with the present-day Crusaders.

• 
  From (L) to (R): Pisha Warden, Linda Wang, Chanelle Yang, Jean Franco, and Connie Kim. BITS OF PARADISE (The Marsh Theater, San Francisco)

  Transcending Barbed Wire:  Why we need stories of fearless risk-takers and history-makers like The Crusaders and Yuri Kochiyama:

  We copied the statistics below from the Indiegogo site for the film, ALICE WALKER: BEAUTY AND TRUTH.

  "Funding independent film is an uphill climb at the best of times but for women it is no picnic. If we look at the startling fact that only 7% of directors, 13% of writers, and 20% of producers are female, it’s not hard to see what we are up against. Given such a dearth of female representation behind the camera, is it any wonder that we continue to struggle to find funding for female stories and voices? We want all women and girls to be empowered, to believe in their own voices and their own truths."

  
  

Like Rosie the Riveter, when World War II ended, the interned Japanese American girls and women gracefully receded to the background after the men came home. It's time to get them out into the Limelight!

YES! We can do it! With your help!

Status of the FilmThanks to the Bay Area crew's generous in-kind donations (for deferred pay) of profesional skill, time and energy, we logged 40 hours of shoots. Footage includes:

*Interviews with surviving Crusaders, Yuri Kochiyama and Ruth Ishizaki (creator of the Crusaders Scrapbooks);

*Young Asian American actors whose eyes were opened while performing BITS OF PARADISE;

*Scenes of octogenarian Kochiyama's walker-driven participation in present-day political events;

*Sound bites from activists Gloria Steinem and Dolores Huertes;

*Yuri Kochiyama's 88^th birthday blowout-party;

*Day of Remembrance ceremony in San Jose;

*Scanned images from the Crusaders Scrapbooks (Ms. Kochiyama gave us a full release to use any of her writing, her image and words for both this film and the play).

Who We Are

(L) Marlan Warren (M) Yuri Kochiyama (R) Ruth Ishizaki

                                      Opening Night: "Bits of Paradise" (The Marsh Theater)

"BITS OF PARADISE places its footprint on the timeline of a much needed theatrical examination of the Asian American journey." - Asian Week

Hello there!

I'm Marlan Warren, the Executive Producer, Writer, and Co-Director for KOCHIYAMA'S CRUSADERS. In '01, I began researching The Crusaders scrapbook at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) and received written permission from the museum to adapt the material for an educational play. In '08, excerpts from my play, BITS OF PARADISE, were showcased at The Marsh theater in San Francisco with a young Asian American cast.

We were thrilled when Yuri Kochiyama attended opening night with Ruth Ishizaki (creator of both Crusaders Scrapbooks)! As soon as the play closed, my production company Roadmap Productions began shooting a documentary film about The Crusaders. The professional crew generously donated time and skills for deferred payment / in-kind donations.

One of the actors, Jean Franco, came with me to surprise Yuri and invite her to the play. He dressed in his uniform and performed his monologue for her! A re-enactment of that "Private Performance" is below.

When I interviewed Yuri, I asked her what keeps her going. She replied, "When I see things that need to be corrected."

I ask myself the same question.

My interest in the Japanese Internment ignited in '95 when a friend showed me the letters his uncle had written to his interned family before he was killed in the famous battle depicted in the film “Go for Broke," and it made a huge impact on me. Perhaps because my father fought in World War II or perhaps because I lost relatives at Auschwitz. But most likely my passion for this project has more to do with the incredible charm and joie de vivre of Yuri Kochiyama who had me at..."Carry on"!

Here's what going on with our crews now:

Bay Area Unit 
Co-Producer/Writer: Marlan Warren
Co-Producer/Director/Videographer: Chong Lee
Second Camera: John Quick
Sound and B-Roll Videographer: Ryan Carbrey
B-Roll Videographer: Nani Walker

Los Angeles Area Unit
Our SoCal crew is small but determined! We will increase in number with your donations, expediting the completion of this film. 

Executive Producer/Writer/Keeper of the Flame: Marlan Warren -Filmmaker/Screenwriter.  Her films have been shown at film festivals around the world (Reunion can be viewed on YouTube). Journalist, playwright, novelist (Roadmaps for the Karmically Challenged), and blogger (Swimming in the Experience Lane) whose themes include multicultural issues. She is a graduate of USC Film School (Screenwriting).

Co-Producer: Tom Tsuji – U.S. Army veteran and Los Angeles native whose family members were interned at Manzanar. Tsuji brings extensive management experience and skills that will aid this project in the much-needed areas of line producing, marketing strategy and fundraising.

Editor: Lindsey Myers – Very professional, very busy editor who collaborated with writer Warren and came up with this awesome first pitch video trailer that you see here. Myers co-owns Almost Fairytales Films.

What's this about tax-deductible donations?!

We are thrilled that this project has been sponsored by Fractured Atlas, a 501(c)(3) national non-profit artist service organization. This means that A PORTION OF YOUR CONTRIBUTION IS ELIGIBLE FOR TAX DEDUCTION! You automatically receive a receipt upon To donate, just click on the button on this page.

How Your Contributions Will Help
Your money will go towards completing Phase 2 of the production phase that will begin in June and should end before August 2012. Production costs will include crew and equipment.

1. Funding further interviews with more surviving Crusaders and Japanese American World War II veterans; artist Chizuko Judy Sugita de Queiroz (shooting her poignant visual memoir of internment camp life) and professors/authors who specialize in Asian Studies and/or Women's Studies.
   
   
2. Pickups at the Japanese American Museum in San Jose with a Crusaders Scrapbook.
   
   
3. A shoot at the Japanese American National Museum with a Crusaders Scrapbook.
   
   
4. Funding some editing time on WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR, MOMMY?:
   KOCHIYAMA'S CRUSADERS—paying for the last video pitch trailer ($200) and assembling a new one for Phase 3.
   
   
5. During Phase 3 we will reshoot excerpts from the play with some original actors and some new ones. The quality of the first video shot shot by Ben Kim during performances in San Francisco was good but uneven, and we may use clips (some can be seen in this pitch video).

Please help us get this film off the curb!

With your financial aid, we will jump-start this project with seed money and mount subsequent Indiegogo campaigns to complete the production phase and post-production.
FYI - We will not get all the funds until the deadline has passed, but any contributions made through Pay Pal will be immediately disbursed.

We are grateful for your anticipated support! We could not do it without you! Please help us spread the word through Twitter and Facebook, telephone, word of mouth, letters and homemade signs!

The play BITS OF PARADISE has a Facebook fan page, and we are working on one for this film. Plus a blog is coming! Stay tuned.

Need more details? Want to see more video clips of the film and play? Please check out our website at KOCHIYAMA'S CRUSADERS: THE FILM.

Need to contact us directly? Please send e-mail to LetLightShine at yahoo dot com.

Created By:

• 
  Marlan Warren
  

Remembering The Crusaders and their Courage...

Scene from my play about The Crusaders and the Japanese American Internment,  BITS OF PARADISE, performed at The Marsh Theater - 2008.

Test Shots for New Film

Hi Everybody!

Yes, it's been a while since I last updated you on the goings on in Los Angeles as I make my weird path through them. The next several photos are test shots for the documentary film I've been working on about The Crusaders and Yuri Kochiyama--specifically for the Indie Gogo "crowd funding page" that I've been working on for DAYS. Indie Gogo has a rather picky way of letting me post embedded photos and I'm running an experiment to see if this will work. Fingers and toes crossed...

Recovery Made Real: "All Storms Pass: The Anti-Meditations" by Luke Benoit

I just posted a review for Luke Benoit's beautiful book on Goodreads (link below).


I love this book. It fell into my life during a rocky time of self-doubt, anxiety and regrets, and I started dog-earing pages five minutes into my first reading.

The title "All Storms Pass" is fitting since the book's brief passages (written in non-rhyming poetry format) focus on the transitory nature of life. At a whopping 635 pages, an alternate title might have been "The Big Book of Self-Esteem."

Author Luke Benoit, C.C., C.P.H. tells us up front: "If anyone ever told you that you were less than wonderful...they lied."

Benoit urges readers to share these "anti-meditations" with others to stimulate dialogue and promote healing. They function as the jumping off place for discussion rather than the end of it. "They beg for personal interpretation," says Benoit on the back cover, while acknowledging that "All of them require introspective rumination."

This is such a personal book and at the same most of us can relate to the struggle to gain peace and balance in our lives. Life Coach/Therapist Benoit has obviously suffered and continues to wage war against internal forces that threaten his peace of mind. This honest approach makes the book riveting.

Reading this book is like reading someone's life-journal, and as you gather the bits of wisdom, you realize you're looking in a mirror. What Luke Benoit has suffered and transcended one day at a time, each of his readers can suffer and transcend one page at a time, right along with him.

It is a brave masterpiece.

Each segment has an enticing title. My personal favorite is "Today I Will Stand Back and Leave You and Your Trip over There." Other notables include "Meditation for New Year's Eve," "Today I Will Stop Waiting for the Stars to Align," and "The Fairy Tale of 9 Fingers."

Benoit pulls ahead of the "recovery meditation book" pack by mingling popular recovery and pop-psychology slogans, concepts, sayings and lyrics while putting his own unique spin on them.

The only inconvenient thing about the book is the lack of a Table of Contents or Index with the titles or opening lines in the tradition of anthologies, so readers can quickly find their favorites. But perhaps that will be corrected on the next printing.

"How do you measure a life?" is one of the few lines from pop-culture lyrics not referenced in this recovery anthology. "All Storms Pass" nevertheless answers the more pressing question: "How do I measure my own life...and then throw away the measuring stick?"

Whenever I read any of the passages in this "recovery" masterpiece, I feel more centered and reminded of what is known and unknown, and more inclined to embrace my life as it is, not as I wish it would be.

A soothing, grounding read just before bedtime. Or anytime someone is just bugging the crap out of me.

ALL STORMS PASS; The Anti-Meditations by Luke Benoit
My rating: 5 of 5 stars




View all my reviews