The Filmmakers
CORY SHIOZAKI
Cameraman-turned-director Cory Shiozaki is a 31-year member of the International Cinematographers Guild. He is a third-generation (sansei) Japanese-American whose parents were among the 120,000 evacuees who were rounded up in the immediate aftermath of Pearl Harbor.
“My mother and father always were reluctant to discuss such a painful chapter in their lives,” Shiozaki says, “and I vowed that someday I would make a film about the internment as a reminder that something like this must never happen again.”
Shiozaki’s involvement with Manzanar goes back to the pilgrimages of the early 1970s. Currently, he is an active docent with the Manzanar National Historic Site and Interpretive Center. He was also active in the campaign for redress and the passing of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which was signed by President Ronald Reagan.
Shiozaki is a licensed and bonded trout fishing guide for the Eastern Sierra.
ALAN SUTTON
Executive Producer
For nearly a quarter century Alan Sutton held increasingly more responsible positions at Universal Pictures, most recently Senior Vice President of Distribution & Marketing.
During his career at the studio he had the good fortune to work with such filmmakers as Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Robert Redford, Tom Shadyac, Robert Zemeckis and many more.
LESTER CHUNG
Producer/Camera
Lester Chung has been a television industry professional for over 20 years. An accomplished producer, cinematographer and editor, he began his career on the personal video staff of Bob Hope and as a videographer for Columbia/Embassy Television.
His experience includes programs and documentaries for networks such as CBS, PBS, Fox, Discovery, Fox Sports, and Showtime. He also served as the Executive Producer of DVD and Digital Video Production at Panasonic Digital Solutions.
Along with John Gengl, he is one of the principals of Talk Story Media, a video production company whose clients include Sony, Panasonic, Honda, Acura, Kodak, NetZero, Toyota and others.
Chung is an avid fisherman and loves chasing trout or tuna whenever he has the chance.
JOHN GENGL
Producer/Sound
John Gengl, a member of the Producers Guild of America and The Television Academy of Arts and Sciences, has worked in broadcast television for over 20 years. John started his career as a page at Paramount Studios. After working on numerous shows, John joined Arnold Shapiro Productions where he was responsible for the final delivery of over 100 episodes of CBS’ hit show Rescue 911. As the VP of Post-Production Operations at MPH Entertainment, John has supervised numerous series’ and specials destined for networks such as A&E, Discovery, the History Channel, Sci-Fi, National Geographic, Animal Planet, The Learning Channel, and others as well as the feature film, Men Seeking Women. John is also a partner in Talk Story Media, which has produced numerous industrials for major corporations and instructional photography DVDs. Some of his highlights include working on Histories Mysteries for The History Channel, Dog Whisperer for National Geographic and MTV’s If You Really Knew Me.
RICHARD IMAMURA
Producer/Writer
Richard Imamura comes to the project as a longtime editor/journalist and writer in the entertainment industry. Starting with local newspapers (South Bay Daily Breeze, Gardena Valley News), he went on to become the first (and only) Asian-American editor of a major international music industry trade magazine (Cashbox) and the founding editor of Inside Kung-Fu magazine. In the film industry, he has extensive experience in publicity, distribution and independent production.
As a fisherman, Imamura likes both salt- and freshwater. He has fished the Eastern Sierra for trout for decades and also enjoys going after steelhead and salmon in the McKenzie and Willamette rivers in Oregon. He also is very proud of the ulua he caught off Kihei, Maui.
Imamura’s parents and paternal grandparents were interned at the Gila River camp in Arizona. (His parents met at Gila River.) His father went on to serve with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in France and Italy. As a prominent member of the Japanese community on Maui, Hawaii, Imamura’s maternal grandfather was incarcerated without charges by the military for nearly a year after the Pearl Harbor attack.