Obaachan's Garden
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Linda Ohama
Nelson Mashita
Warren Takeuchi
Caitlin Ohama Darcus
Natsuko Ohama
July Ono
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In 1923, at the age of 25, Hiroshima-born Asayo Murakami boarded a ship to Canada to marry a man she had never met. Running from a traumatic secret past, Asayo arrived in British Columbia as a Japanese picture bride. But she was to be no docile wife. Asayo's vibrant personal history is also a complex journey through the 20th century, touching on such momentous events as the shattering 1923 Tokyo earthquake, the Second World War, Canada's Japanese internment camps, and the horrific atomic bombing of Asayo's hometown. Directed by Asayo's granddaughter, Linda Ohama, this portrait blends documentary footage with dramatic recreations. These dramatized visions are intertwined with interviews with Asayo herself (now more than 100 years old), family memories, archival images, and documentary material of Ohama's quest to uncover her grandmother's long-buried past. A potent personal exploration of Japanese-Canadian history and a testament to one woman's strength and spirit.
Director
Linda Ohama
Cast
Nelson Mashita
Warren Takeuchi
Caitlin Ohama Darcus
Natsuko Ohama
July Ono
Asayo Murakami
Donna Yamamoto
Hiro Kanagawa
Crew
Manfred Becker
Dennis Burke
Betsy Carson
Caitlin Ohama Darcus
Ty Haller
Selwyn Jacob
Hiro Kanagawa
Barry Kootchin
Don Madsen
Leslie Madsen
Nelson Mashita
Christina Mcquarrie
Asayo Murakami
Vivien Nishi
Linda Ohama
Linda Ohama
Linda Ohama
July Ono
Warren Takeuchi
Kirk Tougas
Kirk Tougas
Leigh Hunt Wilkes
Donna Yamamoto
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Winner of the award for Most Popular Canadian Film at the 2001 Vancouver International Film Festival.
Shown at Vancouver International Film Festival September 27 - October 12, 2001.
35mm
color
dialogue Japanese and English
subtitled English
"Obaachan" is the Japanese word for grandmother.
