“From a Silk Cocoon”—A Japanese American Renunciation Story
A Film By Satsuki Ina Documentary: 57 Minutes/Color.

The discovery of a small metal box leads to the uncovering of a family story, shrouded in silence for more than 60 years. Woven through their censored letters, diary entries, and haiku poetry, is the true story of a young Japanese American couple whose shattered dreams and forsaken loyalties lead them to renounce their American citizenship while held in separate prison camps during World War II. They struggle to prove their innocence and fight deportation during a time of wartime hysteria and racial profiling.

Mark Halverson of Sacramento News & Review reviewed From a Silk Cocoon for the recently sold-out sneak preview screening held at the Crest Theatre in Sacramento. He wrote that From a Silk Cocoon ". . . offers a cautionary tale of homeland security . . . compelling . . . stretches beyond the basic facts of the Japanese-American internment experience into the dark and thorny corners of "perceived military necessity" that is just as frightening and relevant now as it was when it happened . . . An intimate portrait of a family under siege."

From a Silk Cocoon is produced by the Emmy award-winning “Hesono O” Productions team of Satsuki Ina, Stephen Holsapple, Emery Clay III, and Kim Ina. Leza Lowitz and Hisako Ifshin co-translated Itaru Ina’s haiku, diaries and the censored letters between he and his wife Shizuko that inform the heart of this film.

“From a Silk Cocoon” is the winner of a 2006 Northern California Emmy Award, a 2006 SILVER TELLY AWARD for Outstanding Documentary, a 2006 BRONZE TELLY AWARD for Outstanding Cultural Program, the 2005 New York International Film and Video Festival “Best Director” Award, and the 2005 Berkeley Video and Film Festival “Grand Festival Award.”

For more information about this film, see: www.fromasilkcocoon.com