Roughly 50 students were in attendance for the screening of “Visas and Virtue,” an Oscar-winning short film, on Multicultural Day.
Chris Tashima, co-writer, actor and director of the film, attended the event in order present his work to the students.
“I’m twittering because I’m really happy to see a full house,” he said. “You never know what to expect but [the film] is a great story, so it’s always nice to share it.”
“Visas and Virtue” is a drama focused on the actions of a real man and his decisions. Chiune “Sempo” Sugihara was a Japanese delegate who served as Vice Consul in Lithuania during World War II. Sometimes referred to as the “Schindler of Japan,” Sugihara enabled Jewish people to leave the country by writing visas for them to travel through Japan. Because it was against the wishes of his government, however, he wrote the visas at the cost of his reputation.
Though the movie started out as a one-act play during Tashima’s early acting days, the strong message behind it quickly propelled Tashima and his friend, and “Virtue” playwright, Tim Toyama, to consider making a low-budget film.
According to Tashima, they wanted to share Sugihara’s story with the world, and without the crew’s understanding of the importance of the project, they would not have been able to pull it off.
“I really owe [the crew] a lot just for the opportunity to make this movie,” said Tashima. “Everyone worked for free.”
Now, 12 years after the movie won an Academy Award for Live Action Short Film in 1998 (the same year Titanic won for Best Picture), students were able to experience a story that is remains under the radar for many people.
“I had never heard of Sugihara before,” said Sammy Johnson, a 19-year-old communications major. “It was interesting to hear another perspective of the Holocaust.”
Although the specific events in “Visas and Virtue” were made up, the result of Sugihara’s actions were not. He wrote over 2,000 visas and saved over 6,000 lives.
