With the exception of "The Finger", all of the following films were filmed under the auspices of the University of Hawaii's Academy for Creative Media, a new film school started at UH in 2004 that has provided local (or not-so-local filmmakers, in my case) an incredible opportunity to tell their stories about Hawaii (and anything else) from right here in Hawaii. It's been an absolutely incredible opportunity for me to be able to participate in this school while pursuing my M.A. studies here at UH, and I think there are great things ahead for ACM and its students. If you are interested in filmmaking, I highly encourage you to check out the ACM's homepage.

This film is about Xiao Xue, a young Chinese woman who comes to Hawaii to live with her distant cousin Lin. Xiao Xue gets involved in an abusive relationship with Lin and becomes pregnant with his child, but can't find the courage to tell him for fear that he will abandon her. When Lin cheats his boss and is hunted down by tough gangster Mark, he and Xiao Xue flee to a small island hideout near Sand Island where Xiao Xue meets Leilani, a young, neglected local girl who reminds Xiao Xue of herself as a child. Through their interactions and as a result of Lin's increasingly abusive behavior, Xiao Xue finds the courage to extract herself from her abusive relationship in a most surprising way. The film was shot in Mandarin, Cantonese, Fujianese, and English (whew!). It's the first film I've directed working with a full crew, and I certainly wouldn't have been able to pull it off without them or the talented cast! The film has it's own page, with production stills and more information about the movie.

The following films were written, directed, shot, and edited by me. The first five films (Tunnels, Still, East West Fest 2004, Kill Envy Love Lust, and Perfect Day) were all projects in ACM's Cinematic and Digital Narrative Production class (ACM 310). It was a busy semester! 'The Finger' was filmed as a project in an English elective class I was teaching in 2003 at a public middle school in Japan.

Synopsis: Kazu and Miho, a couple of Korean descent, run away from discrimination in Japan to start a new life in Hawaii. For a while, everything is wonderful, but soon they find that discrimination exists everywhere. Will Kazu learn to live with this, or will he revert to the violent ways of his past?
Starring: Tetsuhiko Arai, Itsuka Kobayashi
Running time: 21 minutes
Language: Japanese w/ English subtitles
Festival Screenings: 2005 Hawaii International Film Festival, 2005 Hawai'inuiakea Film Festival, 2006 Los Angeles Asian American Film Festival, 2006 Worldfest Houston International Film Festival, 2006 Shanghai International Film Festival

Synopsis: A jaded photographer still clings to memories of his past love, whose words echo in his head and pictures stare at him from his wall. When he finally finds a new love, he can't fully let go of the past one. A personal statement.
Starring: Kastuhisa Teruya, Keiko Shimizu
Running time: 11 minutes
Language: Japanese w/ English subtitles
Festival Screenings: 2004 Hawaii International Film Festival, 2006 Shanghai International Film Festival

Synopsis: A short documentary of the 2004 East West Fest, an annual international extravaganza with a variety of ethnic performances and displays organized and run by students here at the East West Center. The theme for 2004 was Ohana ('family' in Hawaiian) Brightens the World.
Starring: About half the students at the East West Center (with the exception of almost all the Chinese students, who despite being the largest single group at the EWC couldn't be bothered to participate!)
Running time: 15 minutes
Language: English

Synopsis: Two Japanese friends come to Hawaii for a short trip, and we watch in reverse as their relationship slowly unravels with horrific results.
Starring: Fuyuko Hasegawa, Ayako Okimatsu
Running time: 12 minutes
Language: No dialogue

Synopsis: A panhandler begs for change on a busy thoroughfare, but gets more than he reckons for when a passerby wants a little something in return for his charity. Set to Lou Reed's "Perfect Day".
Starring: Fideles Magalhaes, Jeff Hayes
Running time: 5 minutes
Language: No dialogue

Synopsis: A group of Japanese middle schoolers get their hands on a cursed videotape. After each student watches it, they are hunted down and killed by the "The Finger". A parody of Japanese horror film "The Ring". Shot in Japan with my English students as part of an elective class.
Starring: Hiraka Junior High 3rd year English elective class students
Running time: 25 minutes
Language: English

I shot these two films in China in the summer of 2005. A version of the documentary has been edited for my master's thesis, but there is a lot of footage and it's a fascinating topic, so it will probably be something I continue to work on and build on in the future. 'The Happiness of Fish', a flawed but interesting film, has taken a back seat to the documentary and is still being edited. Hopefully it will someday be able screen at a few festivals.

Synopsis: Alex, a young German writer, is convinced that all the good stories in the West are already taken. He impulsively moves to Chengdu, China, to find a good story. Alex struggles at first with his writing, caught up in the decadent life his two German roommates are living. Then Wang Yu appears, a mysterious girl he meets through an embarrassing encounter at the bar where he works. She gives him the best story of his life, but in a rather unexpected way. Partially based on my own experiences living in Chengdu.
Starring: Alex Demissie, Martin, Bodo von Zingler, Lan Ling, Yu Yang Yang, Julia Soeffner, Lin Zi
Running time: The longest short film ever!
Languages: Chinese, English, German w/ English subtitles

Synopsis: A documentary I shot on two trips to Danba, Sichuan in 2004 and 2005. This documentary is for my M.A. thesis project on "The Sinicization and Modernization of Tibetans in Western Sichuan". It focuses on the specific case of Danba county, a collection of traditional Tibetan villages nestled amidst massive stone towers in the steep mountainsides of what was once part of East Tibet and is still primarily occupied by the Kham Tibetans. A number of influences have brought about rapid change in this area over the past several decades, most notably a large influx of Han Chinese, a drastic increase in tourism, and the introduction of aid programs by both domestic and foreign organizations. I shot this film in cooperation with Xu Jun, a professor at Sichuan University's Tibetan Research Center and an expert on Tibetans in western Sichuan.
Running time: 29 minutes
Languages: Sichuanese, Jiarong Tibetan, Mandarin, English w/ English subtitles

The following two projects were completed for the ACM Advanced Production class (ACM 398). These were professional quality projects and provided a great insight into the process of working on a real set. The knowledge I gained from these projects helped tremendously in shooting my film DAO.

Synopsis: Two strangers, an elevator, and the ups and downs of pursuing romance. See Tyler and Lisa in this comedy of errors, chock full of near misses and almost happenings. Dopey security guards, spiteful co-workers, and cranky bosses are just some of the obstacles that stand between them and a first date. Will Lisa and Tyler ever find each other?
Starring: Dezmond Gilla, Laine Yoshioka
Running time: 14 minutes
Festival Screenings: Hawaii International Film Festival, Hawai'inuiakea Film Festival
**I served as director of photography for this film. It was directed by Seong Kyu Whang and produced by Jeremiah Tayao, both of chE.A.p film productions

Synopsis: Two surfers driving their cool new Scion xA and xB cars are cruising around looking for a surf spot. They start off at Ala Moana Bowls in the early morning, but the waves are too flat so they head out to two Sunset and Rockpiles on the North Shore. The guys don't like the prospects there either, so they end up coming back to Ala Moana Bowls in the evening and night surf there.
Starring: Matt Ortiz, Sam Garcia
Running time: 30 seconds
Awards: Association of Independent Commercial Production 2005 Mea No'eau Award
**I served as assistant director for this film. It was written and directed by Chrystal Jameson. This film is currently airing on TV in Hawaii!