Jon Osaki’s “Reparations”: A Japanese American filmmaker tackles Black activism

By Andrew HamlinNORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Filmmakers generally start with a sense of who inspires them filmwise. Certain directors, actors, producers, and/or screenwriters fire their fancy. In the case of activist filmmaker Jon Osaki, inspiration came through other means. “I never thought about making movies growing up,” remembered Osaki, whose documentary film “Reparations: Building Solidarity & Community,” on the Black reparations movement, showed on Oct. 30 at Seattle Central College.  “The whole idea seemed way too large and unattainable. However, when I was very young, my oldest brother created a slideshow that was synced to music, and I thought it was one of the coolest things I had ever seen. Seeing a story told with images in combination with perfectly-paired music was extremely intriguing.” Asked about professional filmmakers that inspire him, he responded, “There aren’t any particular filmmakers that come to mind. What really drew me is my advocacy work. I have been a child and youth development activist for over 30 years. I saw filmmaking as an extension of my advocacy work that could reach an unlimited audience.  “I did not study film in school. I am entirely self-taught with the help of some very generous filmmaker friends. I am...