The University of Oregon Center for Asian and Pacific Studies screened two documentaries, “The Revolutionary” and “Fumiko Hayashida: The Woman Behind the Symbol,” on May 3, in Room 180 of Prince Lucien Campbell Hall.

“The Revolutionary” chronicles the life of Sidney Rittenberg, who rose to fame as the only American citizen to join the Chinese Communist Party. After arriving as a GI interpreter at the end of World War II, Rittenberg – who attended the UO screening – became an active participant in the Cultural Revolution. An intimate of the Party's leadership, including Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, he gained prominence at the Broadcast Administration, one of the most important agencies of government. But in the convulsions of a giant country constantly reinventing itself, he twice ran afoul of the leadership, and served a total of 16 years in solitary confinement.

“Sidney Rittenberg brings a unique and lived perspective to historical moments that are quickly receding into a distant past far removed from China's current focus on economic development,” says Maram Epstein, Department Head, East Asian Languages and Literatures.

“Fumiko Hayashida: The Woman Behind the Symbol” recounts the World War II-era incarceration of Japanese Americans who lived on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The film is an historical portrait of Fumiko and her family during incarceration and later, it follows 97-year-old Fumi and her daughter, Natalie, as they return to the site of the former Minidoka internment camp, their first trip back together in 63 years.

Both documentaries are produced by Stourwater Pictures. Producer/director Lucy Ostrander, and videographer/editor Don Sellers worked on both films. They brought in Irv Drasnin to direct “The Revolutionary.” The three filmmakers and Rittenberg attended a panel discussion following the screening.

-UO Center for Asian and Pacific Studies