Aoki, by Ben Wang and Mike Cheng, is a new feature documentary chronicling the life of the late Richard Aoki, a third generation Japanese American who became one of the founding members of the Black Panther Party in 1966. Here's the film's official description:
Aoki is a documentary film chronicling the life of Richard Aoki (1938-2009), a third-generation Japanese American who became one of the founding members of the Black Panther Party. Filmed over the last five years of Richard's life, this documentary features extensive footage with Richard and exclusive interviews with his comrades, friends, and former students. Viewers will learn about Richard's childhood in a WWII Japanese American concentration camp, growing up in West Oakland, and serving eight years in the U.S. military. The film explores previously unknown facts about the formation of the Black Panther Party such as how Richard became intimately involved in its founding and contributed the first two firearms to the Party. Aoki highlights how Richard's leadership also made a significant impact on individuals and groups in the contemporary Asian American Movement. Richard's contributions to the groundbreaking organization Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) and its involvement in the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) student strike led to the formation of ethnic studies at U.C. Berkeley. Above all else, Aoki is a film that demonstrates the incredible dedication to justice that one man's life has had and how the lessons of solidarity, commitment, and discipline can carry on from one generation to the next.View the trailer here. It looks like a really interesting portrait of a fascinating figure. The film makes its world premiere at a special screening next week, Thursday, November 12 at the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland. The details:
Documentary AOKI, on the life of Richard Aoki, premiering November 12th in Oakland, CAPurchase your tickets here. To learn more about the documentary, visit the Aoki website here. And for more information about next week's premiere, which includes a screening and Q&A with the filmmakers, go to the Facebook event page here.
What: Film premiere of the documentary film AOKI. This is the first documentary on the life of Richard Aoki, founding member and one of the only Asian Americans to join the Black Panther Party. A 30-minute Q&A panel with the filmmakers will follow the film.
When: Thursday November 12, 2009 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Where: Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland, CA
Online pre-sale tickets can be purchased for $8.50 (general admission)
or $7 (students) at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/87178. A
small service fee will be added by Brown Paper Tickets.
Tickets can also be purchased the night of the premiere at the Grand
Lake Theater's box office for $10 (general admission) or $9 (students).