The Unwanted Soldiers documentary tells the personal story of filmmaker Jari Osborne’s father, a Chinese-Canadian WWII veteran. She describes her father’s involvement in World War II and uncovers a legacy of discrimination and racism against British Columbia’s Chinese-Canadian community. Without the right to vote, hold public office, or even just obtaining work outside of the Chinatown ghetto, the discrimination against the Asian population of Vancouver in the 1940s was real and alive British Columbia. When the war broke out, the Chinese Canadian population became ideal candidates for “blending in” secret operations in Southeast Asia. Sworn to secrecy for decades, Osborne’s father and his war buddies now vividly recall their top-secret missions behind enemy lines in Southeast Asia. Theirs is a tale of young men proudly fighting for a country that had mistreated them. This film does more than reveal an important period in Canadian history. It pays moving tribute to a father’s quiet heroism.

Watch more stories about WWII and internment camps: Minoru: Memory of Exile, 442-Live with Honor, Die with Dignity, The Bridge : short film, Secret Identities – 9066, and Norman Y. Mineta: A Boy from San Jose.

Unwanted Soldiers documentary