This piece introduces us to Haru, a woman of Japanese heritage, who recalls when her family was incarcerated in an internment camp in Manzanar, Calif, during the 1940s. The elderly woman then reveals herself to be someone else, a modern-day counterpart, prompting the question, “Is history repeating itself?”
The #DontNormalizeHate short film was directed by Aya Tanimura and Tim Nackashi (who are represented for commercials and music videos, respectively, by RSA and its music clip sister shop Black Dog Films). Tanimura and Nackashi collaborated with exec producer Katy Perry and Tony Gardner, a visual effects makeup artist from creative studio Alterian.
The short is a cautionary tale of the damage that can be done by fear mongering.