A new film series by producers Laine Ross and David Vice highlights the history and importance of preserving the Panama Hotel. In their Panama Hotel Legacy Film project, Ross and Vice educate the public about the Panama Hotel’s importance to American history, and about the importance of preserving this National Treasure.

In their film, Vice and Ross focus on several stories the building has to offer from its 105 year old history, including the story of the current owner Jan Johnson, who has preserved the building, along with its Japanese-style bath house and collection of belongings stored by Japanese-Americans incarcerated during World War II. Ross and Vice also examine the history of Japanese internment and its impact on the surrounding community.

The producers released a nine-minute segment to the public in time to coincide with the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s designation of the site as a National Treasure on April 9, 2015. Once finished, the series will likely be released in two or three parts, and may be available through a distribution partner like HBO, Amazon, or Showtime, with whom the producers intend to have conversations.

In a recent interview, Ross and Vice talked about their Panama Hotel Legacy Film Project and the importance of preserving the Panama hotel with the National Trust for Historic Preservation staff. Read the full interview.