Rea Tajiri facts for kids

Rea Tajiri is an American artist who makes videos and films. She is also a screenwriter. She is well known for her personal film History and Memory: For Akiko and Takashige (1991).

Early Life and Education

Rea Tajiri was born in 1958 in Chicago, Illinois. Her uncle, Shinkichi Tajiri, was a famous sculptor who lived in the Netherlands.

Rea went to the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). There, she earned two degrees in art. In 1979, she moved to New York. She worked with The Kitchen, which is an art center.

What Films Has Rea Tajiri Made?

Rea Tajiri's video art has been shown in important art shows. These include the Whitney Biennial in 1989, 1991, and 1993. Her work has also been shown at many famous museums. These include The Museum of Modern Art and The Guggenheim Museum. In 2015, she received the Pew Fellowship in the Arts. This is a special award for artists.

History and Memory: For Akiko and Takashige

In 1991, Tajiri made History and Memory: For Akiko and Takashige. This was a personal documentary film. It was about the time when Japanese Americans were held in camps during World War II. The film was first shown at the 1991 Whitney Biennial. It won awards, including the Distinguished Achievement Award. It also won a Special Jury Prize at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1992.

Yuri Kochiyama: Passion for Justice

In 1993, she made Yuri Kochiyama: Passion for Justice. This film was about Yuri Kochiyama, a Japanese American human rights activist. Tajiri worked with Pat Saunders to produce this documentary.

Strawberry Fields

Tajiri worked with Kerri Sakamoto, a Japanese Canadian author. They wrote a story about a Japanese American girl growing up in Chicago in the 1970s. This story became the film Strawberry Fields.

The film was shot in 1994. It got money from groups like the CPB. The movie stars Suzy Nakamura and Takayo Fischer. It was finished in 1997. Strawberry Fields was shown at film festivals. It was chosen for the Venice International Film Festival. It also won the Grand Prix at the Fukuoka Asian Film Festival.

Current Work

Rea Tajiri is now a professor at Temple University. She teaches students how to make documentaries. She is working on a new film called Wisdom Gone Wild. This film is about her 16-year journey caring for her mother, who had dementia.

How Are Rea Tajiri's Films Unique?

Rea Tajiri is known for her special way of making documentaries. She mixes different stories and uses old film clips. She also uses her own life and experiences in her films.

Telling Stories in a New Way

Tajiri often uses a style called "avant-garde documentary." This means her films do not always follow a simple, straight story. For example, in Strawberry Fields, she uses dream-like scenes. She also shows old photos and films from the past. This helps viewers understand the memories of Japanese Americans during wartime.

What Techniques Does She Use?

Tajiri often looks at how Asian Americans are shown in movies and TV. In her film Off Limits (1988), she looked at how Hollywood showed the Vietnam War. She used parts of other movies and added her own words.

In History and Memory (1990), Tajiri explored how history is made. She showed how memories can be changed. She used her own family memories and old media images. These images were about Japanese Americans being held in camps during World War II.

History and Memory Techniques

History and Memory is an experimental film. It shows the memories of Tajiri's mother from the war. The story is told through small pieces of memory and family history. Tajiri tells the story in four ways:

• Events shown directly on camera.
• Events that are acted out again.
• Events told through conversations and memories.
• Events that happened but are not shown.

Tajiri uses her voice and text to explain things to the audience. She wants to make the purpose of the memories clear. Through this film, Tajiri showed that Japanese Americans were often missing from films. She brought attention to her family's past and culture. She also showed how something absent can still feel present.

Strawberry Fields Themes

In Strawberry Fields, Tajiri focuses on the idea of Asian American identity. This is different from Asian American culture. In the film, the main character, Irene, shows her anger openly. This goes against what society might expect. Tajiri often brings attention to social issues in her films. For example, in History and Memory, she showed how Asian Americans, Latinos, and Black people faced challenges. They often could not fully join white American society.

Why Is Rea Tajiri Important?

Rea Tajiri is a very important filmmaker. Her work helps us understand history and identity better. Her films are now studied in many university classes. These classes include documentary filmmaking and films made by women. Tajiri has helped people think about identity in films. She shows cultural challenges and questions. She teaches her audience through the stories she tells in her movies.

Filmography

Director

• Hitchcock Trilogy 1987
• Off Limits 1988
• History and Memory: For Akiko and Takashige 1992
• Yuri Kochiyama: Passion for Justice 1993
• Strawberry Fields 1997
• Little Murders 1999
• Aloha 2000
• Lordville 2014

Producer

• Strawberry Fields 1997
• Yuri Kochiyama: Passion for Justice 1999

Writer

• Strawberry Fields 1997

Actress

• Robot Stories 2003

Awards

• 1989 NEA Visual Arts Fellowship
• 1990 NEA Production Grant
• 1992 International Documentary Association, Distinguished Achievement Award – History and Memory
• 1992 San Francisco International Film Festival, Special Jury Award: New Visions Category – History and Memory
• 1992 Atlanta Film & Video Festival, Best Experimental Video – History and Memory
• 1993 NEA Visual Arts Fellowship
• 1994 NEA Production Grant
• 1998 Fukuoka Asian Film Festival, Grand Prix – Strawberry Fields
• 1992 Rockefeller Media Fellowship
• 1999 Rockefeller Media Fellowship
• 2000 New York Foundation for the Arts
• 2001 Smack Mellon Residency
• 2003 MacDowell Colony Residency
• 2015 Pew Fellowship in the Arts