Starving in Japanese war camps, prisoners of war were forced to live in unbearable conditions and were worked to death in some cases. Their story is told in "The Inheritance of War," a documentary that will be shown Friday at 2 p.m. at the LDS Film Festival.

Jim Parkinson, attorney of law and J. Reuben Clark Law School alumnus has shared the touching and fairly unknown tales of Americans used as slave laborers for private Japanese companies during World War II, and their quest for restitution. Originally done on page, it has been converted for the big screen.

"I was one of the attorneys representing the veterans," Parkinson said. "There was an incredible story about courage, politics and World War II." He joined up with writer Lee Benson to tell this story.

"Soldier Slaves: Abandoned by the White House, Courts and Congress" met good sales when published. Parkinson and Benson won Authors of the Year awards from the Naval Institute Press.

In September 2007 after "Soldier Slaves" had begun to see success, Parkinson approached director Ashley Karras and began to film "The Inheritance of War."

"It's a combination of history of World War II, and the law suit in 1999," said Karras, 23, of Ogden.

Four of the prisoners of war were interviewed in the documentary.

"They're in their late 80s," Parkinson said regarding the timeliness of the film. "We had to do it now while they were still around."

Senator Orrin Hatch also makes an appearance in the documentary. In 1999, Hatch and now Vice President Joseph Biden passed the statute giving POWs the ability to sue for what horrible things they encountered.

Ashley Karras made her directing debut with "The Inheritance of War."

"I tried to make a film that people of every age could enjoy," director Karras said.

"The Inheritance of War is unique because it's not like the History Channel that would have it focused on facts," Karras said. "We put more emotion behind it."

"The Inheritance of War" premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival earlier this month.

"We got a good reaction from a lot of people," Karras said.

Karras worked as director, editor and cinematographer for this film. Parkinson produced and narrated.

"This story is important," Karras said.

Jim Parkinson got his undergraduate degree from BYU in 1973 and graduated in the first class of the law school in 1976. In 2006, he was honored Alumnus of the Year from the law school.



Copyright Brigham Young University 21 Jan 2009