<Begin Segment 37>

SY: I asked you this once and I remember your answer very clearly. Because there's never been a, sort of a overall documentary film on the camp experience that has, sort of a chronicle of the camp experience, I asked you if that was something you would like to do, and I remember your answer. It's probably the same, but I'm curious if that was ever a dream of yours.

RN: Well, I guess at a different time, now that I'm... the present time, I don't know if I... I mean, if I had to take it on, I don't know if I'd want to do it now. I would definitely help Tad or somebody else do it, but I just realize, I'm doing a kind of simple DVD project on the Asian American movement right now, and I just... it's too responsible, and it's very simple, kind of more like oral history project. But I realize that...

SY: But do you feel that that's something that should be done?

RN: Oh, that I'm going to continue on.

SY: I meant in terms of chronicling the camp experience. Or is that something that...

RN: I thought you meant for myself. I think for myself, yeah, I don't think I could handle it. There are more stories about camp, I think, that could be done, but I wouldn't want to do that one.

SY: How about to consult or to be a part of?

RN: Yeah, I wouldn't mind doing that. I think there's some aspects of camp...

SY: In other words, do you think that the whole camp experience is something that should be shared with a larger audience at this point in a very... overall look at it?

RN: Yeah. I don't know if I should put that on tape or not, but if I were to do that, I think one of the things that's happened, my films also may contribute. I think we are painting maybe a little rosier picture of camp than we should, we shouldn't be doing that. I think like the museum at Manzanar -- I mean, which is nice, Niseis have been just wanting... but for me, guy dressed in a ranger outfit touring me through the camp, and their programs are about fishing, fly fishing during the camp times, I just think everything's a little too rosy. And if I were to take that on now, it'd have a little harder edge to it and we would do something really on Tule Lake and really get that whole issue of Kibeis and Niseis and all of that. So if I were to do that or help somebody, I'd lean toward painting a little harder edge. That's not what's gone on in the past and what's being done is bad, I just think in that whole sites money that's going around now...

SY: The Park Service, National Park Service money?

RN: Yeah. And actually, you're getting funded by that, right? [Laughs] Is this Densho project through the sites money? It is, okay. But if you look at the projects -- and they're all very valid -- but if you look at them all, they're all very safe. Even like there was a pamphlet that the Manzanar... I forgot what they call their educational site.

SY: Interpretive center?

RN: Interpretive site. They had a pamphlet out, and it's a famous Miyatake film with kids with the tower behind them. And in the original shot there's barbed wire in front of them. And in the pamphlet, there's three kids with the tower, there's no barbed wire. Anyway, I think if we were to do more work, we might switch from kind of safer areas. But I think a lot of it has become part of government funding, and the parks people are very nice and very bushy tailed and really enthusiastic, but they have a very rote, they tend to paint a very, or a little rosier picture that we need to kind of do something else. That's what I would do.

SY: So yeah, now that you're retiring quickly, do you plan to make more films?

RN: I just want to document, as I said, making an actual film is too exhausting. But I want to document the early Asian American movement and do a lot of life history, video life history things and just document. I don't know if Tad will make a film out of it or not, but I just want catch everyone before they get too old and forget dates like I do. [Laughs]

SY: Thank you. Wonderful interview.

<End Segment 37> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.