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Kintsukuroi

With a stroke of his pen, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 and effectively destroyed the lives of 120,000 Japanese Americans. Kintsukuroi follows members of the Ito family from their pre-war life in San Francisco's Japantown to the concentration camps of the American West to the battlefields of Europe as they struggle to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.

  • Kerwin` Berk
    Director
    Infinity and Chashu Ramen
  • Kerwin Berk
    Writer
    Infinity and Chashu Ramen
  • Ben Arikawa
    Producer
  • Jim Nagareda
    Producer
  • Samantha Takizawa
    Producer
  • Ryan Takemiya
    Key Cast
    "Jimmy Ibata"
  • Kealani Kitaura
    Key Cast
    "Wendy Ito"
  • Ron Munekawa
    Key Cast
    "Mr. Ito"
  • Kiyomi Koide
    Key Cast
    "Mrs. Ito"
  • Ken Takeda
    Key Cast
    "Ken Ito"
  • Chizu Omori
    Key Cast
    "Obaachan"
  • Sarah Lee
    Key Cast
    "Manami Koga"
  • Timothy Hsu
    Key Cast
    "Shig"
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    2 hours 12 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 3, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Silicon Valley Asian American FilmFest
    Sunnyvale, CA
    United States
    October 19, 2024
    Best Feature Film
Director Biography - Kerwin` Berk

Kerwin is a sansei, born and raised in San Francisco's Japantown and still calls The City his home.

He is an award-winning journalist who worked at newspapers and wire services for more than 20 years. His last stop was at his hometown newspaper - The Chronicle.

Today, he is a freelance writer and independent filmmaker. He has written, produced and directed award-winning films and web series such as “The Virtues of Corned Beef Hash,” “Infinity & Chashu Ramen” and “Gold Mountain.”

Ikeibi Films is dedicated to the idea that Asian Americans need to tell their own stories in their own voice using our own talent both in front of and behind the camera.

You can contact Ikeibi Films at ikeibifilms@gmail.com

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

KINTSUKUROI is the Japanese art of repairing pottery using urushi lacquer and gold. Yet, it is also something more. KINTSUKUROI shows us that something shattered can be restored and made stronger and more beautiful.

I think the term is an apt metaphor for the Japanese American community during WWII. Homes and farms lost, businesses destroyed, lives broken. More than 120,000 people were unjustly imprisoned in concentration camps in the deserts and mountains.

Despite this, there is beauty and strength found in their struggle. Families who continue on with grace and dignity in the hope of a better tomorrow for their children and their children’s children. Although our film is a fictionalized account, we hope you see a little of your father or your grandmother or your auntie in this story as we try to honor the legacy of those 120,000.

Kerwin Berk
writer/director/producer
KINTSUKUROI