Transcript Living in Silence: Toraichi Kono

Living in Silence:
Toraichi Kono
PRODUCERS
Philip W. Chung, Clyde Kusatsu, Tim Lounibos
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS
Sara Edel, Nancy Yuen
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PROJECT: 323.993.7245 or [email protected]
Contents
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Cover and Contents page
Introduction
Who was Kono?
Story Treatment
Strategies for Success
Producers’ Bios
Slides
Slides
Slides
Slides
Slides
Slides
1-2
3-4
5-8
9-13
14-17
18-22
Introduction
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Documentary on Toraichi Kono who came
to America with nothing, gained success
and status by becoming personal secretary
to international celebrity Charlie Chaplin,
then lost it all in an environment of fear,
accusations and paranoia
Introduction
Purpose:
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Tell an untold tale of one man’s struggle to attain
the “American Dream” – one that is compelling,
enlightening and fascinating
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Reach a large audience and help keep history
from repeating itself in the unfair treatment of
individuals due to skin-color, media images and
current events
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Reclaim a portion of Hollywood and U.S. history
by emphasizing Kono’s story as one that is truly
American
Who was Kono?
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Japanese immigrant who
came to America in 1900
with nothing but dreams
for a better life
Who was Kono?
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Charlie Chaplin’s chauffeur,
personal secretary, and closest
confidant from 1916 to 1934
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“Kono is my man Friday. He is
everything – muse, valet, private
secretary, and bodyguard”
-Charlie Chaplin
Who was Kono?
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Alleged Japanese spy
arrested in 1941 and
incarcerated before and
after the mass
internment of 120,000
Japanese Americans
following the attack on
Pearl Harbor
Who was Kono?
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Loving Husband,
Father, Friend,
Community Leader
Story Treatment:
Part I – The Early Years
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Will explore Kono’s early life:
his colorful youth in Japan, the
reasons for his immigration to
the States as a teen, his initial
struggles in Seattle, marriage,
and the fateful move to Los
Angeles that would lead him to
the most famous man in the
world—Charlie Chaplin.
Story Treatment:
Part II – The Chaplin Years
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Will examine the eighteen
years Kono spent working as
Chaplin’s valet and closest
confidant. At a time when
Asians were barely secondclass citizens, Kono held power
and had access to a world of
wealth and privilege that few
Americans could even
imagine. How did Kono
maintain this position and
what ultimately caused it all
to go away?
Story Treatment:
Part III – The Post-Chaplin
Years
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After his acrimonious split from
Chaplin, Kono made an attempt to
rebuild his life but found that all the
doors that had been opened to him
before were now permanently
closed. Learning that life for an
Asian man in America was much
more difficult than he had
previously known and reeling from
the premature death of his wife,
Kono struggled in vain to regain his
standing unaware of greater
tragedies to come.
Story Treatment:
Part IV – World War II
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Even before the bombing of
Pearl Harbor, Kono found
himself caught up in
accusations of espionage along
with a Japanese naval officer
named Tachibana. Although
charges were dropped, Kono
was again arrested on
December 7, 1941 and spent
more than six years
incarcerated at various camps
as a potential “alien enemy”
while his family worked
tirelessly to secure his freedom.
Story Treatment:
Part V–The Post-World War II
Years
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Finally released, Kono worked
with “Tex” Nakamura and
attorney Wayne Collins to help
other Japanese Americans
facing similar problems with
the U.S. government.
Eventually, he returned to his
hometown in Japan where he
would live out the rest of his
days never to regain the glory
of his early years—a time he
fondly considered “the best of
his life.”
Strategies for Success:
Distribution
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Submit to various prestigious film festivals, both Asian
American and mainstream, drawing upon pre-existing contacts
with a number of these festival organizers
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Secure global theatrical, cable, and video distribution deals via
film festivals
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Target venues (proven receptive to similar projects) such as
PBS, the History Channel, the Discovery Channel and the
Sundance Channel, which has recently partnered with
Docurama to launch the Sundance Channel Home
Entertainment Documentary Collection
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Utilize membership base of community organizations like the
JACL and Japanese American National Museum
Strategies for Success:
Marketing
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Draw on connections with the Asian American Journalists
Association, which has members at most major television
stations and print media throughout the United States
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Utilize print media, drawing on pre-existing relationships with
publications including the Rafu Shimpo, Korea Times, Asian
Week, KoreAm Journal, the Los Angeles Times and L.A. Weekly
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Utilize pre-existing relationships with numerous organizations in
the Asian American community throughout the United States
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Capitalize on mass media’s heightened awareness and interest
of all things Asian and Asian American during the month of
May—Asian Pacific Heritage Month
Strategies for Success:
School Outreach
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Explore the possibility of raising the funds necessary to
distribute copies of this film to schools throughout the country –
similar to efforts that were made to distribute 10,000 video
copies of the film Farewell to Manzanar throughout the
California public school system
Under the sponsorship of then-Lieutenant Governor Cruz M.
Bustamante, producer Clyde Kusatsu participated in the
distribution of the film to California school libraries and is able to
draw upon that experience as well as connections made
throughout the process
Strategies for Success:
Website
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Simple but effective marketing tool to reach and nurture a mass
audience
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Take advantage of various marketing techniques and access the
large network of Asian American websites and email lists before,
during, and after production
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Provide interested users with information about the documentary,
production updates and progress reports, viewing information,
and links to other related websites
Producers’ Bios
PHILIP W. CHUNG (CO-PRODUCER)
 Asian American history and literature teacher
 Journalist for numerous Asian American and
mainstream publications
 Written, produced or directed over 60 plays,
workshops and readings
 Writing credits include Lois and Clark: The New
Adventures of Superman and a number of Warner
Bros. Television pilots, as well as writing and
directing two short films
 Currently developing several film scripts and
projects
 Co-founded and co-artistic directs the highly
acclaimed Lodestone Theatre Ensemble
Producers’ Bios
CLYDE KUSATSU (CO-PRODUCER)
 Graduate of Northwestern University's famed
theatre program
 Professional acting career spanning 32 years
in film, TV and theatre
 Acted in films including The Interpreter and
Paradise Road, on TV series from Magnum
P.I. to Ally McBeal, and played Judge Lance
Ito in the TV movie American Tragedy
 Starred in Farewell To Manzanar – the first
movie to deal with the internment camp
experience on network television
 Affiliated with groups like Visual
Communications, Japanese American National
Museum and East West Players as an actor,
producer and teacher
Producers’ Bios
TIM LOUNIBOS (CO-PRODUCER)
 Produced My America – the Sept. 11th memorial
event in New York City – The Ammy Awards, and
The Ovation Awards
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Executive produced the short film Harlequin
Currently producing the indie films The Sensei
and way leads onto way starring Sandra Oh
Was Development Manager for aOnline (named
“Best Asian American Community site of 2001” by
Yahoo Internet Life Magazine)
Professional actor who has starred, guest starred
or appeared in 100+ films, tv shows, videos,
commercials and plays over a fourteen-year
career
Co-founded, co-artistic directed and board
member of Lodestone Theatre Ensemble
Participant on numerous panels discussing the
image of Asian Americans in the media
Producers’ Bios
SARA J. EDEL (ASSOCIATE PRODUCER)
 Currently a grant writer for the Haight Ashbury
Free Clinics, Inc., San Francisco, CA
 UC DIGSSS Fellow. UC Diversity Initiative for
Graduate Study in the Social Sciences. Los
Angeles, CA 2005.
 Phi Beta Kappa. Alpha of Maine 2002.
 Experience in conducting extensive, in-person
interviews with community-based and
governmental workforce development service
providers.
 Published “First Source Hiring Agreements: An
Overview,” Fresno Works for Better Health, part of
the California Works for Better Health Initiative, in
2005. Funded by the California Endowment and
the Rockefeller Foundation.
Producers’ Bios
NANCY WANG YUEN (ASSOCIATE PRODUCER),
 PhD. candidate in Sociology at UCLA
 Spearheaded a study of Asian Pacific Islander
Americans in Primetime Television in Fall 2004
(downloadable at www.napalc.org), and will
follow up with a study for the Fall 2005 season
 Recipient of the prestigious National Science
Foundation Graduate Fellowship
 Published "Performing Race, Negotiating
Identity: Asian American Professional Actors in
Hollywood,” as a chapter in Asian American
Youth Culture, Identity, and Ethnicity, edited
by Min Zhou (UCLA) and Jennifer Lee (UCI), in
2004 (Routledge)
 Currently working on a dissertation study of
Hollywood actors and whether their
experiences vary by race and gender