“The Legacy of Katsu Goto: The making of a documentary” will be the focus of a presentation from 5-6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, at the University of Hawaii at Hilo in Hooulu Terrace UCB Room 127.
“The Legacy of Katsu Goto: The making of a documentary” will be the focus of a presentation from 5-6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, at the University of Hawaii at Hilo in Hooulu Terrace UCB Room 127.
Join UH-Hilo communication and English faculty member, writer and film producer Patsy Y. Iwasaki and award-winning director, editor and filmmaker Danny Miller as they discuss their latest project: a full length documentary focusing on the legacy of early Japanese immigrant Katsu Goto, who arrived in Honokaa in 1885 as a plantation laborer when sugar was king along the Hamakua coast of the Big Island.
This presentation explores the process and the making of this documentary, a back and forth journey between Japan and Hawaii that spans 130 years, featuring the incredible true story of Katsu Goto, a powerful saga of hope and inspiration rising out of tragedy.
“Katsu Goto’s work as a pioneer of the labor movement in Hawaii and his ultimate sacrifice is an extremely important and relevant piece of Hawaii history,” Iwasaki said.
This film has been in production for three years and is told through engaging and heartfelt interviews with family members and others who are a part of his narrative in Hawaii and Japan. The documentary also includes the story of his niece, Dr. Fumiko Kaya.
Goto’s little-known tale highlights the significant cross cultural connections and deep relationships that developed out of Hawaii’s immigrant and plantation roots.