120,000 lumens

(13 minute short film)

At risk of erasure, Los Angeles' Little Tokyo community fought to build a permanent home for its Japanese American arts and culture. The Center opened its doors in 1980. Four decades later, in the quiet of the pandemic, "120,000 lumens" observes the time and memory embodied by a building.

Director:
Scott Oshima

Director of Photography & Editor:
Ken Honjo

Score:
Sara Sithi-Amnuai

Production:
Margaux “Mago” Morales
Kuniharu Yoshida

お陰様でした
Thank you for your shadow:
Andrew James Phoenix Jewell
Hirokazu Kosaka
Kenji C. Liu
Aric Nakamoto
Clement Hanami
Autumn Le' Brannon
Frances Cullado
Cole Montgomery
My family & friends

Filmed at:
Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (est. 1980)
Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Kotohajime (1992) video courtesy of Hirokazu Kosaka

Funded in part by Art Matters

Oshima Does Art

Who’s Scott?

120,000 lumens