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Susumu

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Extract 2
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1989
0:30:00
United States of America
A documentary on jazz pianist Sumi Tonooka’s poem “Out From The Silence” about the effects on the people of Japanese descent interned after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Physical formats available:
16mm
Digital formats available:
Quicktime (Pro Res)
Audio & visual:
Sound, Color

Context

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in 1941, the United States Army rounded up about 120,000 people of Japanese descent, the majority of which were American citizens, with the stated intent of preventing espionage in the homeland. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on Feb. 19, 1942, which authorized the forcible removal of Americans of Japanese ancestry from their homes, stripped them of their constitutional rights and placed them in internment camps in military zones.

“Susumu” means “progress” in Japanese.  This film is a document of jazz pianist Sumi Tonooka’s bittersweet tone poem “Out From The Silence” about the effects of this event on those interned and on succeeding generations.

Credits

Producer & director: Gei Zantzinger
Editor: Ann Tegnell
Composer & musical director: Sumi Tonooka
Musicians: Clifton Anderson (Trombone), John Blake, Jr. (violin), Bob Kenmotsu (tenor sax), Steven ‘Hideo T’ Morris (vibes/percussion), Rufus Reid (bass), Wallace Roney (trumpet) Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin (shakuhachi), Akira Tana (drums) Emiko Tonooka (recitation) Sumi Tonooka (piano) Fusako Yoshida (koto/vocals)
Cinematography: Thomas Ott & Bill Burke
Sound: Dave Baker, Bruce Litecky, Frank Sauerwald
Collection
Constant Spring Productions
(18)
Ethnomusicologist Gei Zantzinger was an independent filmmaker and student of folklore who began making films in Africa in 1966, collaborating with musicians and other notable ethnomusicologists and filmmakers. His career in the social sciences spanned nearly 50 years. Gei’s efforts resulted in a broad collection of 17 extraordinary films made between 1966 and 1997 that examine the roles that oral traditions, music and dance play in preserving and informing personal, cultural and spiritual identity in disparate communities around the world.
Collection
Music and Dance
(61)
Global selection of music and dance films and titles.