War Brides of Japan, a docu*memory: "The Kids" movie poster

"The Kids” is chapter 3 of 5 chapters that make up the “War Brides of Japan, a docu*memory” film series.

Roleta is “The Entertainer’s Daughter” who explains the role of geisha in Japanese culture and how her talented mother survived in Little Tokyo after divorcing her American civil engineer father.

Several adult children of war brides meet for lunch in Little Tokyo, Japantown, in "hafu". Besides discussing how their parents met, they also talk about the challenges their Japanese mothers faced in America, and how their own mixed-race identities were forged in the U.S.

And, finally, in “Remembering Her Mother”, Jean talks about the woman she cared for during her last years; how her mother met her father, married and the various locations where their family lived until settling in Northern California. A strong relationship with her mother’s family has Jean and her siblings visiting Japan often.

"War Brides of Japan, a docu*memory” features 5 chapters as indicated below:

1. “Herstory” featuring “Dekasegi” & “Japanese Brides, American Wives”

2. “The Brides” featuring “The Best Ambassador” & “Kitchens & a Priest”

3. “The Kids” featuring “The Entertainer’s Daughter”, “hafu” & “Remembering Her Mother”

4. “The Culture” featuring “Cactus…Cranes…Cooks”, “Tamales 4 Bon Odori” & “Bringing Japan Home”

5 “BFF’s: Buddhist Friends Forever” featuring “Missing Her Mom”, “Family Fortune” & “Disowned/Reclaimed”

www.warbridesofjapan.com #warbridesofjapan

  • Yayoi L Winfrey
    Illustrator/Designer
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Indo-Global International Film Festival
    Mumbai, Maharashtra India
    July 20, 2019
    Official Selection for Best Film Poster award
  • Visualis Film Festival
    St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
    October 14, 2019
    Semi-Finalist for Best Film Poster award
Artist Biography

Born in postwar Tokyo to a Japanese war bride and an African American soldier, Yayoi L Naito Winfrey has been creating media all her life. First, as an illustrator and graphic designer; then as a screenwriter, fiction writer and journalist; and, now, as a filmmaker. Growing up on three continents by the time she was five years-old gifted her with a strong appreciation for other people’s languages and cultures. As a mixed-race person, she has an innate sense of what it’s like being ’the other’; and, her long career in arts reflects that special position.

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Artist Statement

Storytelling through film engages so many senses. I feel so fortunate that I’m able to combine my love for both visual art and literature to make movies.