Donald M. Ephraim Film Festival: Persona Non Grata

Description

Sometimes called the "Japanese Schindler," Chiune Sugihara was a diplomat posted in Lithuania during World War II. He defied orders and issued over 2,000 transit visas to Jewish refugees, famously continuing to sign visas even as his train pulled away from the station. He is estimated to have saved over 6,000 lives from the Nazis, who invaded Lithuania a year later in 1941. Afterwards, with his diplomatic career ruined, he did not know if the visas had made any difference. Now he is considered a hero in Japan, and the people he saved have more than 40,000 descendants. Special Jury prize for Social Justice and Excellence in Filmmaking DisOrient Film Festival (Eugene Oregon).