Loyal American

After Pearl Harbor, Keige Kaku was discharged from the U.S. Army, imprisoned in a camp, and deported for refusing to declare "loyalty" to the United States. Eighty years later, National Geographic Explorer and photographer Haruka Sakaguchi joins Keige’s son Henry as he retraces his father’s footsteps to confront the question: What does it mean to be a “loyal” American?

  • Haruka Sakaguchi
    Director
  • Sam Sheline
    Producer
    Flora, Fauna, Funga
  • Henry Kaku
    Key Cast
  • Vanessa Serrao
    Executive Producers
  • Kaitlin Yarnall
    Executive Producers
  • Chris Dye
    Supervising Producers
  • Sarah Joseph
    Supervising Producers
  • Haruka Sakaguchi
    Photographer
  • Mike Kai Chen
    Cinematographer
  • Maíra Ferranti Corrêa
    Production Manager
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Documentary, History
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 18, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, 4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Haruka Sakaguchi

Haruka Sakaguchi is a Japanese documentary photographer based in New York City. She was born in Osaka, Japan and immigrated to the US with her parents when she was three months old.

Haruka's documentary work focuses on cultural identity and intergenerational trauma. Her clients include The New York Times, National Geographic, Time Magazine, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post among other publications.

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Director Statement

Loyal American aims to reframe the narrative of Japanese American incarceration—not as an isolated incident in history but as a shared American legacy. By focusing on the "loyalty questionnaire," a lesser-known aspect of incarceration that reveals the profound moral and existential dilemmas faced by Japanese American incarcerees, the film invites viewers to consider: What does it mean to be a “loyal” American? Is it to declare loyalty to your country despite unjust treatment or to stand up for your rights as an American citizen?