A jaded woman inherits a lakefront property in the Interior of B.C. Dilapidated log buildings hidden in the bush and unsettling visions of a ghostly eight-year-old Japanese girl hints there’s more to her inherited land than she’s been told.
This sets the scene for TORA, a film starring Kate Bateman as Jenna, who experiences the pain of loss, the power of hope and the value of forgiveness when she learns that her new property was once a Second World War Japanese Internment camp.
Brought to life by B.C. filmmakers Wendy Ord and Glen Samuel TORA reels out at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 10 at the Salmar Classic .
Billed as a modern-day ghost story that should haunt us all, TORA tells of some of the more than 22,000 people of Japanese descent who were interned during the war – three-quarters of whom were Canadian citizens.
All of their belongings were sold and the profits used to support the camps. At the end of the war, the internees had nothing and were no longer allowed to reside in B.C.
This poignant and sweeping story is set in the stunning scenery of B.C.’s Interior and swings between present day and the cold winters of the 1940s.
This epic short film began as a dream a year ago when Ord and Samuel moved onto a property in central B.C., only to be told some rundown buildings were part of an old internment camp during the war. While this turned out not to be true, the pair did some research and the story began.
A 30-year veteran of the film business, Ord has won many awards, as has partner Samuel. The pair have co-written five features and three TV.
Tickets for Sunday’s screening at the Salmar Classic Theatre are $5 at the door.