Q&A with Chris Tashima of DAY OF INDEPENDENCE

By The San Diego Asian Film Foundation

Chris Tashima is an academy award winner for his live action short film, VISAS AND VIRTUES, which screened at the first San Diego Asian Film Festival in 2000.  This year, he is showing his newest dramatic short, DAY OF INDEPENDENCE at our NISEI SPIRIT program.

Set in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II, DAY OF INDEPENDENCE is a touching story of a Japanese American family’s sacrifices and triumphs during internment.  The healing powers of the all American sport, baseball, helped this one family endure and persevere.  120,000 other Japanese Americans were under internment during this dark time in history.  The official film-website is at www.cedargroveproductions.com

Left to Right: Derek Mio as "Zip", Marcus Toji as "Hog" and Jonathan Okui as "Satch".   Chris Tashima as "Umpire" with extras at backstop.   Alan Muraoka as "Father"     Derek Mio as "Zip".

1) Where did you get the story idea for Day of Independence?

Having grown up knowing about the camps, it was always something I wanted to address in my work. I began developing a “baseball in campâ€? feature screenplay, since baseball was so symbolic, ironic, cinematic, and factual – it was a part of camp life. But credit for the DAY OF INDEPENDENCE must go to Tim Toyaama, who wrote the one-act play which we adapted to the screen.  It is actually based on his father’s story. 

2)  You had quite an impressive crew & cast  (Greg Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Sab Shimono ).  How did you get everyone together?

This became a great meeting of the minds/talent/community.  An unforeseen delay in preproduction gave us 9 months of extra prep-time.  This allowed us to pull together our “dream team.â€?  I would never ordinarily ask any of these actors to be extras, but once the notion of it being an “all-staf choirâ€? came about, Emily Kuroda (GILMORE GIRLS) was one of the first to say yes.  Then Sab Shimono agreed.  Once Sab was onboard, everyone else that was available stepped in.  John Cho even wanted to be a part of it, but had to work that night.
 
4)  What's the biggest challenge with acting & directing in a  film?
 

There’s the initial decision that you can/should/will do both—it bugs me when a director casts himself in a role he is not right for.  Otherwise, it’s just scheduling problems.  Basically:  as a director, needing to worry about memorizing lines, and arriving don-set early to get into wardrobe, makeup and hair.  And as an actor, it’s not having any time to prepare.  I usually study like crazy (as an actor) not just memorizing lines, but contemplating blocking, script, words, beats, relationships, etc.  If I’m directing, I’m have about a tenth the amount of prep time, if at all.

5) What's your next project?
 

Cedar Grove Productions has a sequel to DAY OF INDEPENDENCE, where we following three of our ballplayers, one year later when they’ve enlisted in the 442  and fighting in Europe.  We also have a feature screenplay about baseball camp, but with a different story and set of characters than DAY OF INDEPENDENCE. 

6)  How's that Oscar of yours?

He’s okay… I recently had to send him to the Oscar Doctor.  We had taken him to a screening in Sacramento, and he fell out of the back of the car, resulting in a bend at the ankles and a lean giving him a sad, drunken posture.  But he’s fine now.

7)  Finally, what is your favorite Food & drink?

Johnny Rockets #12 and a chocolate coke.

 

You can reach Chris Tashima at www.cedargroveproductions.com or cedarmail@aol.com