FIlm poster shows an elderly man standing at the front of the bus. He is wearing a wide-brimmed hat and looks saddened.
THE ORANGE STORY
An award-winning educational program (film + interactive site) to learn about Japanese American WWII Incarceration
LAUNCH
Format
Film in four parts [TRT: 15:10] explored through an interactive website
Genre
Historical drama
Audience(s)
Activities optimized for Grades 7-8 or 9-10
Common Core(s)
Gr. 9-10 Gr. 11-12
Gr. 9-10
ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.9
Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.C
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Gr. 11-12
ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.9
Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.C
Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
About THE ORANGE STORY
Synopsis
February 1942. President Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066, which authorizes the forced "relocation" of 120,000 Japanese Americans from their homes and into incarceration camps during WWII.

Koji Oshima is the proud owner of a small corner grocery store, but he must now abandon everything and report to an assembly center. His belongings, his business – everything – must be sold or left behind, except what he can carry in one large duffel bag.

Up against a wall, Koji receives only one low-ball offer for his store, which he has no choice but to accept. The lone bright spot during this turmoil is the friendship Koji develops with a precocious nine-year-old girl. On the day of his departure, however, Koji is saddened to learn that even this friendship has been tainted by the larger forces of fear and wartime hysteria.
Primary Sources
  • Historical photographs
  • Audio excerpts of oral histories from 20 Japanese Americans
  • Broadcast newsreel of the U.S. government from 1942
  • Images of several newspaper clippings and government documents
  • Video excerpts of interviews with 5 Japanese Americans
Awards and Recognition
Honorable Mention - National Council on Public History (2018)
Best Lead Actor - Sacramento Asian Pacific Film Festival (2017)
Silver Whiskers Award - IndieWorks (2017)
Best Historical Short - Tribute Film Festival (2017)
Best Short Narrative - Boston Asian American Film Festival (2017)
Audience Choice Award: Best Fiction - Chicago Feminist Film Festival (2017)
Best Heritage Short Film - HYART Film Festival (2017)
Audience Favorite: Short Film - Show Me Justice Film Festival (2017)
Best Short: Panavision Prize - Thin Line (2017)
Audience Favorite: Historical Short - Riverside International Film Festival (2017)

Watch the trailer

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RESEARCH TEAM

Jasmine Alinder, PhD

Eric Mamura Belter

Shane A. Haensgen

Patrick Hall

Margaret Louise Spiegel

Christine Munteanu

ADVISORY BOARD

Jasmine Alinder, PhD (Lead Advisor)

Megan Asaka, PhD

Rick Morimoto, PhD

Eric Muller, JD

Gary Okihiro, PhD

Ellen Wu, PhD

Bill Yoshino

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This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

This material received Federal financial assistance for the preservation and interpretation of U.S. confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability or age in its federally funded assisted projects. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write to:

Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240
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