...I Told You So

At turns pastoral and gritty, Alan Kondo’s memorable monochrome documentary brings to life the writings of Japanese American poet and professor Lawson Inada. Titled after one of his best-known poems, …I TOLD YOU SO follows Inada to Fresno, California for a sentimental journey to his childhood neighborhood. That Fresno, a panoply of urban blight — graffitied downtown walls, bars, the local Nisei Barber Shop, a skyline of factories belching smoke into the sky — contrasts with the Fresno of Mexican and African American schoolmates, familiar hometown haunts, and even local denizens as Inada’s own aunt, one of the subjects of his poems who asks, “All this identity thing. What is it you’re looking for?” Inada’s answer is contained in his poem, “Nightsongs in Asian America” inspired by author John Okada (NO-NO BOY); and in his active resistance to World War II incarceration and his relationship with his son.

…I TOLD YOU SO was written and directed by Alan Kondo, whose lasting impact at Visual Communications is evidenced in his introduction of industrial video to the organization’s creative arsenal. An alumnus of Loyola Marymount University’s film production program, he additionally directed TRACKS, part of VC’s “Hidden Treasures” series; and for the National Coalition for Redress & Reparations, JUSTICE NOW! REPARATIONS NOW!