Echo

In 1908 my great grandfather Kameichi left Okinawa to seek work in Hawaii, where he labored in the sugar cane fields and sent money back home to his family. Wanting to seek out better opportunities, Kameichi decided to stow away on a ship headed for California. He stayed hidden in the galley during daylight and emerged from his hiding place at night until he reached California. Over time and because of war, my family lost contact with family in Tokyo and Okinawa. 

Echo is an experimental work that combines hand drawn animation, vintage, and original footage shot on Super 8 film. The film is a meditation on lost ancestral connections and the process of analog filmmaking. The name "Echo" references both reflected sound or sensory experiences and Echo Park in Los Angeles where the film was edited.