Grammy and Golden Globe Winner Kitaro’s Music Provides The Musical Backdrop for a Riveting Documentary Film about Japanese Internment During WWII,
Toyo’s Camera — Japanese American History during WWII
Los Angeles, CA – What stories do distinguished photographers Ansel Adams and Edward Weston and Toyo Miyatake’s photographs portray in this film? A riveting Chapter of Japanese American History during WWII¬. Toyo’s Camera captures this history through Toyo Miyatake’s Lens!
Toyo’s Camera is a collaboration of world renowned artists including Photographers: Toyo Miyatake, Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Musicians: Kitaro, Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park) and Film Director: Junichi Suzuki. Toyo’s Camera is A Documentary Told through Toyo’s Photographs. While cameras were prohibited in internment camps, there was one photographer who smuggled in a lens and built a camera with it, to capture life behind barbed wires. That photographer was Toyo Miyatake. Toyo’s photographs of the internment camp captures the compelling stories of Japanese Americans during World War II in this feature documentary “TOYO’S CAMERA ~Japanese American History during WWII~.”
The myriad of photographs of the Japanese and Japanese American internees’ daily lives faithfully portrays the time period. This story about their internment is not told from the perspective of the Japanese American victims, but from a third person party’s neutral point-of-view. The works of Toyo’s mentors and companions, 20th century’s famed photographers Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, are also uncovered in this film. Close to 500 riveting photographs of the Japanese Americans internment come to life on the big screen.
Coupling with Toyo’s photographs is world renowned Grammy and Golden Globe Award winning artist, Kitaro’s euphonious music.
The powerful and vivid songs dramatically add energy to Toyo’s photographs. As a Grammy and Golden Globe award-winning artist, this incredibly prolific composer and performer has continued his reign in the international spotlight and at the forefront of musical innovation ever since the release of his debut solo album, Astral Voyage, in 1978. His numerous recording highlights include 1986’s Tenku (his U.S. debut), 1987’s The Light of the Spirit (a collaboration with Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and Kitaro’s American breakthrough), as well as Sacred Journey of Ku-kai, a multi-volume series of peace-themed albums inspired by the tragedy of 9/11.
The thirty individuals who were interviewed each share their deep, intimate stories, which brings more life to the photographs and archived footage. The Soundtrack for this film is available on Domo Music. Kitaro’s various sound collaborations and resonant, multi-textured compositions, with their crescendos of passion and oases of serenity, truly defy the constraints of any genre. His pioneering fusion of cultures, techniques and spheres of consciousness is truly his own. See more about Kitaro and Domo at www.domo.com
