PLAYWRITE/DIRECTOR LANE NISHIKAWA DEBUTS "WHEN WE WERE WARRIORS PART I" AT JAPAN AMERICA THEATER AUG. 7

Film is an Adaption of Nishikawa's Popular Play, "The Gate of Heaven"

GARDENA, Calif. (July 23, 1999) - Acclaimed playwriter, actor and director Lane Nishikawa will hold a special screening of his film "When We Were Warriors Part I" on Saturday, August 7 at 1 p.m. at the Japan America Theatre located in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles. Sponsored by the 100th/442nd/MIS WWII Memorial Foundation, Anheuser-Busch and the Japanese American Community and Cultural Center, the proceeds will benefit the Foundation's Educational Programs that include Teacher Training Curriculum Workshops, the Hanashi Oral History Program and Nishikawa's Part II of the "When We Were Warriors" trilogy. Film actress Tamilyn Tomita will emcee the special event.

When We Were Warriors Part I, a film adaptation of Nishikawa's popular play "The Gate of Heaven," is an emotional story that delves into issues on constitutional rights, civil rights and human rights. It follows the lives of two men, a Nisei (played by Nishikawa) who fought in WWII, and the Jewish man he rescued from the Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany. These two men faced unfathomable obstacles and persevered to find humanism in their lives and the world that they live. When We Were Warriors looks into their incredible friendship and the personal injustices, social prejudices and psychological wounds that both faced throughout their lives.

Immediately following the screening, Nishikawa and Victor Talmadge will participate in a special panel discussion, which Tomita will moderate. The panel will focus on the reasons for recounting this remarkable story of two men who came from opposite sides of the war, but faced the same challenges and post-war feelings that ultimately brought them together. Nishikawa is most known for the PBS broadcast of his one-man show, "I'm On A Mission From Buddha." His latest visit to Los Angeles was for his production of "Mifune And Me."

Tickets are $10 (student discounts are available) and can be purchased directly through the Japan America Theatre by calling 213/680-3700. Tickets can also be bought by calling the 100th/442nd/MIS WWII Memorial Foundation at 310/715-3143. The Japan America Theater is located at 244 S. San Pedro Street, Los Angeles.

The 100th/442nd/MIS WWII Memorial Foundation, which is headquartered in Gardena, Calif., is a 501 (C) (3) nonprofit organization that erected the "Go For Broke" monument to remember the heroic efforts of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service, 522nd Artillery and 232nd/1399 Engineering. The monument lists the names of those 16,000 WWII veterans and is located on Central Avenue near Temple Street in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo district. The Foundation also provides educational programs to educate future generations of the Japanese American experience during WWII and the obstacles these brave men faced. For more information on the Foundation and its programs, please call 310/715-3143 or email GoForBroke@worldnet.att.net.