The Soul Of A Tree
The Soul of a Tree follows the paths of two men whose lives intersect in shocking and unexpected ways. Bill Vaughn is an Idaho farmboy when he first meets George Nakashima, a Japanese-American citizen interned during the height of WWII. Over forty years later they reconnect when Bill picks up a book written by George, titled The Soul of a Tree.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Mari Walker
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Back in 2008, I started filming a feature-length documentary called Gaman about the Japanese-American internment camp experience. While filming interviews at the Minidoka Pilgrimage (near Eden, Idaho), my parents overheard Bill Vaughn's story about his connection to George Nakashima. They quickly found me and insisted I do an interview with him. About three months later, my director of photographer Jordan Parrott and happened to drive through Bill's hometown and asked if he'd like to be interviewed. He graciously invited us into his house. As soon as I pressed record, he told his beautiful story.
While editing the feature documentary, I realized Bill's story was too big for the feature documentary and had to be separated out into its own short film. I reconnected with Bill, who encouraged me to speak to the Nakashima family. In 2012, I found myself in New Hope, Pennsylvania filming the second half of The Soul of a Tree. Before I traveled out to film, I became acquainted with Nakashima's work through research but seeing his work in person is truly awe-inspiring. Not only was he a tremendous woodworker, he was also a very accomplished architect, which is evident throughout the Nakashima compound.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It covers an important time in our history, with events which are still stubbornly not talked about in mainstream culture. It’s also a film about chance encounters and how small the world can be.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The Soul of a Tree has great personal significance to me; my grandparents on my mother's side met and were married at the Tule Lake Internment Camp during World War II. While the film touches upon social justice and the inhumanity of locking up over 120,000 Japanese-Americans simply because of their ethnicity, George Nakashima proved the power of art in the darkest of places.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
This documentary has had a long and storied histor; it started in 2008 and ended in 2016. In between those years, I sought the balance between doing work for others and passion projects for myself. The creative process was long and arduous but any moment of struggle was countered by the power of Bill's and George's words and actions.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has been very positive! I had the tremendous opportunity to screen at over 15 film festivals. One of my highlights was screening at this year’s Minidoka Pilgrimage, where I filmed a portion of the documentary eight years ago.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I’ve been surprised to meet several people through screenings who knew George or Bill. Meeting these people from Twin Falls, Idaho to Ashland, Oregon to New York City has reminded me of one of the themes of the short film; how small the world is.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
My hope is to continue to reach a broader audience by continuing to speak about The Soul of a Tree. At a time when we seem to be repeating history and making the same mistakes, the story of internment can serve as a cautionary tale.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I’m currently seeking distribution, so any assistance from sales agents and buyers, film festival directors and journalists is greatly appreciated! I hope by releasing this film, it will also create interest in the larger documentary about internment, Gaman, as I finish post-production.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Sadly, as I've been screening the short this year, I've found the topic of internment in the US becoming timely again; our political rhetoric is reaching dangerous levels and I fear we may make some of the same mistakes. My hope is the film will highlight a forgotten, shameful time in our past and remind audiences of the dangers of isolationism and extremism.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How do we take adversity in our lives and turn it into something positive?
Would you like to add anything else?
As a documentarian, I often found myself invading other people’s homes and asking them extraordinarily personal questions. While making a documentary can sometimes be an act of courage in itself, without the incredible subjects who are willing to subject themselves to the power of documentary film, we wouldn’t have stories to tell. I owe this film to Bill Vaughn, George Nakashima, Mira Nakashima-Yarnall, Jon Yarnall, Kevin Nakashima and Satoru Nakashima.
It takes a village to make a film and I’m eternally grateful to my amazing crew (Jordan Parrott, Scott A. Jennings and Robert Allaire) for all of their incredible work! I’m also thankful to have met so many amazing filmmakers and film festival programmers throughout the festival run of The Soul of a Tree.
Most of all, I’d like to thank my parents for encouraging me to speak to Bill and for continuing to support the documentary as it went through all its various iterations. Without all of these people, this film wouldn’t have been made!
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Jordan Parrott, my director of photography, is shooting a number of commercials, narrative shorts and music videos - his latest is the latest Bastille music video “Send Them Off!” - you can find his work here: http://www.jordantparrott.com
Robert Allaire (my composer) has a film he scored and wrote called Special Blood, which is currently screening across the country. You can find his fantastic score for Too Late, a film starring John Hawkes and Robert Forster here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/too-late-original-score/id1095892798
Scott A. Jennings just recently wrapped work on HBO’s All The Way and Warren Beatty’s latest film Rules Don’t Apply.
I'm currently in post-product on my first narrative short, Swim, about a young trans girl who takes a secret midnight swim during her summer vacation and I'm also working on obtaining funding for two feature length screenplays I'd like to direct.
Additionally, I'm finishing the larger documentary about internment (Gaman) and a feature-length documentary about the film Deliverance and the affect it had on the county and people in Georgia where it was shot (entitled The Deliverance of Rabun County).
I also have a feature-length film, Solitary, that I co-produced and edited; it will be released soon onto iTunes, Amazon and Indieflix on November 1st!
For more information about the projects I'm working on, you can visit http://www.mariwwalker.com
Interview: October 2016
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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The Soul of a Tree
The Soul of a Tree follows the paths of two men whose lives intersect in shocking and unexpected ways. Bill Vaughn is an Idaho farmboy when he first meets George Nakashima, a Japanese-American citizen interned during the height of WWII. Over forty years later they reconnect when Bill picks up a book written by George, titled The Soul of a Tree.
Length: 17 minutes
Director: Mari Walker
Producer: Mari Walker
About the writer, director and producer:
Mari Walker's work has screened at over 160 festivals, won 53 awards and received 35 nominations. Her work has screened from Seoul to Moscow.
Key cast: Bill Vaughn, Mira Nakashima-Yarnall, George Nakashima
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Sales agents, buyers, distributors, festival directors, journalists
Funders: Self-funded
Made in association with: First House by the River, LLC
Release date: TBD/Spring 2017