My Friends Behind Barbed Wire (film)

Short film that tells the story of the Rev. Emery Andrews , pastor of the Japanese Baptist Church in Seattle, and his family and their support of Japanese Americans during their World War II ordeal. The story is largely told through an interview with Brooks Andrews, Emery's son, and through historical photographs, including images from the Andrews family. Brooks provides an overview of the forced removal and incarceration and his childhood recollections of his Nisei friends being taken away. He also recounts the Andrews' family's move to Twin Falls, Idaho, so as to continue to serve the congregation that had been incarcerated at the nearby Minidoka concentration camp and the discrimination they faced from the local community. He also cites parallels to the contemporary treatment of Muslim Americans.

Produced by the Washington Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction and funded in part by the Washington Civil Liberties Public Education Program, My Friends Behind Barbed Wire was produced and directed by Lucy Ostrander, one of several films that she and her production partner Don Sellers have made on aspects of the Japanese American incarceration story.

Might also like Act of Faith: The Rev. Emery Andrews Story (2015); Gila River and Mama: The Ruth Mix Story (2011); The Music Man of Manzanar (2005)