BIO

EDUCATION

Master of Arts, Social Documentation

University of California, Santa Cruz


Bachelor of Arts, Asian American Studies, Summa Cum Laude

University of California, Los Angeles

AWARDS

JACL Pacific Southwest District 2010 Community Honoree Award


Best Documentary Short, A Song For Ourselves – RiverRun Film Festival, 2010


Gold Remi Award, A Song For Ourselves – WorldFest-Houston International Film & Video Festival, 2010


Best Documentary Film,  A Song For Ourselves - Pomona Valley Film Festival, 2010


Audience Choice Award, A Song For Ourselves - Pomona Valley Film Festival, 2010


Gold Kahuna Award, A Song For Ourselves – Honolulu Film Festival, 2010


Best Documentary Film, , A Song For Ourselves – Bronx Independent Film Festival, 2009


Best Documentary Short Film, A Song For Ourselves - Urbanworld Film Festival, 2009


Best Short Documentary, A Song For Ourselves - DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival, 2009


Cine Golden Eagle Award, A Song For Ourselves – Documentary Short, Independent Division, 2009


Special Jury Award, A Song For Ourselves – San Diego Asian Film Festival, 2009


Best Short Film, A Song For Ourselves - Austin Asian American Film Festival, 2009


Honorable Mention, A Song For Ourselves – Columbus International Film + Video Festival, 2009


30 Most Influential Asian American Under 30, Angry Asian Man.com, 2009


Ebata Memorial Community Artist Award, 2009


CNN’s Young People Who Rock, 2008


Official Selection – Sundance Film Festival, Pilgrimage - Sundance Film Festival, 2008


Best Director, Pilgrimage - Show Off Your Shorts Film Festival, 2008


Best Documentary, Pilgrimage - Show Off Your Shorts Film Festival, 2008


Best Editor, Pilgrimage - Show Off Your Shorts Film Festival, 2008


Best Historical Short Film, Pilgrimage - FirstGlance Film Festival, 2008


New Directors / New Visions Award, Pilgrimage - Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2007


Best Documentary Short Jury Prize, Pilgrimage - Sacramento Film & Music Festival, 2007


Best Documentary Short, Pilgrimage - Asian Film Festival of Dallas, 2007


Best Student Film, Pilgrimage - Honolulu International Film Festival, 2007


Best Documentary Short Award, Yellow Brotherhood - San Diego Asian Film Festival, 2004


Chancellor’s Service Award - University of California, Los Angeles, June 2003


Yuri Kochiyama Award - University of California, Los Angeles, June 2003


Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, 2003


Golden Key Honor Society, 2002


National Society of Collegiate Scholars, 2000

A few short years ago, Los Angeles-based filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura was named one of CNN’s “Young People Who Rock” for being the youngest filmmaker at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival as well as one of the “30 Most Influential Asian Americans Under 30” by the popular website Angry Asian Man.  Now the 32 year old, fourth generation Japanese American has completed his first full-length documentary – on internationally acclaimed ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro - slated for national PBS broadcast in early 2013. 


Nakamura’s trilogy of documentary films on the Japanese American experience, Yellow Brotherhood (2003), Pilgrimage (2007) and A Song for Ourselves (2009) have garnered over 20 awards at film festivals around the world with Pilgrimage being one of 83 short films out of 7,500 submissions selected for the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.  Film scholar B. Ruby Rich remarked, “Nakamura takes the joy of activism and makes it downright contagious!”