Director Oliver Otake.
About Bamboo Roots
The title of the project takes its name from my family name — Otake (大竹) means “big bamboo” in Japanese. It thus represents the story of how my jiichan and baachan (grandfather and grandmother) established their life in the United States. With limited time to get my family history on the record, I decided to interview my jiichan and baachan to document their stories while they are still around to tell them.
Beyond my own curiosities about my heritage, I knew my grandparents’ stories would fill a glaring gap in Japanese American history. I wanted to create a piece of work that doesn’t concern itself with the horrors of WWII and the internment of Japanese Americans. While not to downplay the injustices of the camps, I believe it is time for Japanese American media makers to turn more of our attention towards the generative, positive parts of our history post-WWII. My family has a unique story; if I don’t help share it, who else will?
Beyond producing an oral history about Japanese American history and identity, Bamboo Roots also explores the form and function of documentary as a vehicle for research. Documentary media have distinct advantages unique to the form in comparison to other media, such as writing. Being able to see and hear the participants humanizes them and makes their story more compelling. It captures something much more alive. The documentary form also allows for a type of meta discovery. As the filmmaker, the video captures my presence as a learner in real time.
Bamboo Roots is the final product of my participation in the Undergraduate Research Center’s 2023 Summer Research Program at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. I received funding from the Paul K. and Evalyn E. Cook Richter Memorial Funds Fellowship as well as excellent advising and mentorship from Professor Broderick Fox.
Filming occurred over two consecutive weekends in June and July 2023. Special thanks to my father Gary Otake and my uncle Kenneth Otake for production and technical support. Thank you to Theo Tang for taking the portraits of me.