Watase Media Arts Center
The award-winning Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center produces documentaries, exhibition media, and video life histories in support of JANM’s mission and work.
Upcoming Screenings
Benkyodo: The Last Manju Shop in J-Town at the Doclands Film Festival in San Rafael, CA
Benkyodo: The Last Manju Shop in J-Town will be screening at the Doclands Film Festival in San Rafael, CA on Friday, May 3, 2024. The film was directed by Akira Boch and Tadashi Nakamura, the former and current directors of JANM’s Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center.
World Premiere of Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement at the VC Film Fest
JANM is proud to present the world premiere of Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement, at the VC Film Fest in Los Angeles on May 4, 2024.
Experience this new sweeping documentary from JANM’s Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center and PBS SoCal that follows the life of visionary artist-activist Nobuko Miyamoto and her work that changed Asian America forever.
Featured Productions
WAKAJI MATSUMOTO—AN ARTIST IN TWO WORLDS: LOS ANGELES AND HIROSHIMA, 1917–1944
(2022 / 3 minutes each)
Sincerely Miné Okubo
(2021)
Rhythm and Rice
(2020 / 8 minutes)
Masters of Modern Design
- The Art of the Japanese American Experience
(2019 / 56 minutes) - Kay Sekimachi
(2019 / 8 minutes)
Kaiju vs Heroes
- In the Clutches of Kaiju
(2018 / 7 minutes) - Nagata 360: A Collecting Mind
(2018 / 4 minutes)
Our Man in Tokyo (The Ballad of Shin Miyata)
(2018 / 18 minutes)
About the Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center
The Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center is committed to promoting thoughtful exploration, understanding and appreciation of America’s pluralistic society through an innovative program of media documentation and preservation, production and presentation. By integrating theory and technology with community service and collaborating with peoples and institutions in diverse communities and regions, the Media Arts Center works to advance JANM’s role as a leading international institution.
Life History Interviews
Part of the Media Arts Center’s work is recording video life history interviews with second and third generation Japanese Americans, in an effort to preserve the memories of those who experienced unjust incarceration during World War II and its aftermath. The recordings are made available to family members and researchers, and for the purpose of building a collective archive at the Japanese American National Museum.
If you would like to recommend an individual for recording, please contact us at mac@janm.org.