{"id":"Truth of the Matter (film)","doctype":"articles","links":{"html":"https://resourceguide.densho.org/Truth%20of%20the%20Matter%20(film)/","json":"https://resourceguide.densho.org/api/3.0/articles/Truth%20of%20the%20Matter%20(film)/"},"title_sort":"truthofthematterfilm","description":"Short film by Steve Nagano that juxtaposes the rosy portrayal of the roundup and incarceration of Japanese Americans as presented by the 1942 film\n \n\n Japanese Relocation\n \n\n produced by the\n \n War Relocation Authority\n \n and\n \n Office of War Information\n \n with testimony by Japanese Americans from the Los Angeles hearings of the\n \n Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians\n \n in 1981. The film cuts back and forth between clips from\n \n Japanese Relocation\n \n and testimony that directly contradicts the claims espoused in the film. The final clip, from Grace Nakamura, emphasizes that such a mass roundup and incarceration could happen again.","rg_rgmediatype":["films"],"mediatype_label":"Films and Video","mediatype_icon":"fa-film","rg_interestlevel":["Grades 9-12","Adult"],"rg_genre":["Documentary"],"rg_theme":["Good versus bad","Injustice","Manipulation"],"rg_availability":["Widely available"],"categories":[{"title":"Arts"}],"topics":[],"authors":[{"title":"Brian Niiya","json":"https://resourceguide.densho.org/api/3.0/authors/Brian%20Niiya/","html":"https://resourceguide.densho.org/authors/Brian%20Niiya/"}],"sources":[],"title":"Truth of the Matter (film)","published_rg":true,"modified":"2025-08-14T18:44:41","databoxes":{"rgdatabox-Core":{"rgmediatype":["films"],"title":["Truth of the Matter"],"creators":[],"interestlevel":["Grades 9-12","Adult"],"readinglevel":[],"guidedreadinglevel":[],"lexile":[],"theme":["Good versus bad","Injustice","Manipulation"],"genre":["Documentary"],"pov":["Told from perspective of Japanese Americans testifying about their wartime exclusion and incarceration"],"relatedevents":[],"availability":["Widely available"],"freewebversion":["Yes"],"primarysecondary":[],"hasteachingaids":["No"],"warnings":[],"denshotopic":[],"geography":["Los Angeles"],"chronology":["1942 and 1981"],"facility":[]},"databox-Films":{"title":["Truth of the Matter"],"date":["2017"],"genre":["Documentry"],"released":[],"director":["Steve Nagano"],"producer":[],"writer":[],"screenplay":[],"story":[],"basedon":[],"narrator":[],"starring":["Charlie Hamasaki","Teru Watanabe","Ewan Yoshida","Sally Tsuneishi","Art Tsuneichi","Yoshio Nakamura","Sumiko Seiki","Dr. James Goto","Mitsuru Sasahara","Grace Nakamura"],"music":["Maceo Hernandez"],"cinematography":[],"editing":["Steve Nagano"],"studio":["Visual Communications"],"distributor":[],"runtime":["10 minutes"],"country":[],"language":[],"budget":[],"gross":[],"imdblink":[],"trailerlink":[]}},"rg_title":["Truth of the Matter"],"rg_pov":["Told from perspective of Japanese Americans testifying about their wartime exclusion and incarceration"],"rg_freewebversion":["Yes"],"rg_geography":["Los Angeles"],"rg_chronology":["1942 and 1981"],"rg_hasteachingaids":["No"],"body":"
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\n Title:Truth of the Matter;\nDate:2017; \nGenre:Documentry;\nReleased:;\nDirector:Steve Nagano;\nProducer:;\nWriter:;\nScreenplay:;\nStory:;\nBasedOn:;\nNarrator:;\nStarring:Charlie Hamasaki;Teru Watanabe; Ewan Yoshida; Sally Tsuneishi; Art Tsuneichi; Yoshio Nakamura; Sumiko Seiki; Dr. James Goto; Mitsuru Sasahara; Grace Nakamura;\nMusic:Maceo Hernandez;\nCinematography:;\nEditing:Steve Nagano;\nStudio:Visual Communications;\nDistributor:;\nRuntime:10 minutes;\nCountry:;\nLanguage:;\nBudget:;\nGross:;\nIMDBLink:;\nTrailerLink:;\n

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\n RGMediaType:films;\nTitle:Truth of the Matter;\nCreators:;\nInterestLevel:Grades 9-12; Adult;\nReadingLevel:;\nGuidedReadingLevel:;\nLexile:;\nTheme:Good versus bad; Injustice; Manipulation;\nGenre:Documentary;\nPoV:Told from perspective of Japanese Americans testifying about their wartime exclusion and incarceration;\nRelatedEvents:;\nAvailability:Widely available;\nFreeWebVersion:Yes;\nPrimarySecondary:;\nHasTeachingAids:No;\nWarnings:;\nDenshoTopic:;\nGeography:Los Angeles;\nChronology:1942 and 1981;\nFacility:;\n

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\n Short film by Steve Nagano that juxtaposes the rosy portrayal of the roundup and incarceration of Japanese Americans as presented by the 1942 film\n \n \n Japanese Relocation\n \n \n produced by the\n \n War Relocation Authority\n \n and\n \n Office of War Information\n \n with testimony by Japanese Americans from the Los Angeles hearings of the\n \n Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians\n \n in 1981. The film cuts back and forth between clips from\n \n Japanese Relocation\n \n and testimony that directly contradicts the claims espoused in the film. The final clip, from Grace Nakamura, emphasizes that such a mass roundup and incarceration could happen again.\n

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\n Filmmaker Nagano, a retired schoolteacher, made the film through\n \n Visual Communications\n \n 's Digital Histories program through which senior citizens learn how to make films.\n

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\n \n Authored by\n \n Brian Niiya\n \n , Densho\n \n
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\n Niiya, Brian\n
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\n Might also like\n \n \n Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066\n \n \n (2018);\n \n \n Right of Passage\n \n \n (2015);\n \n \n And Then They Came for Us\n \n \n (2017)\n

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