Tadashi Nakamura is an Emmy-award winning filmmaker and the Director of the Watase Media Arts Center, a production company of the Japanese American National Museum. Tadashi was named CNN’s “Young People Who Rock” for being the youngest filmmaker at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Now with over 20 years of filmmaking experience, his films include NOBUKO MIYAMOTO: A SONG IN MOVEMENT (2024), MELE MURALS (2016), JAKE SHIMABUKURO: LIFE ON FOUR STRINGS (2013), A SONG FOR OURSELVES (2009), and PILGRIMAGE (2006). He is currently working on THIRD ACT (2025), about his pioneering filmmaker father, Robert A. Nakamura, and his current battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
Tadashi has an M.A. in Social Documentation from UC Santa Cruz and a B.A. in Asian American Studies from UCLA. He made the DOC NYC ‘40 Under 40’ list in 2019 and was a 2020-2022 Firelight Media Documentary Lab Fellows and a 2022-2023 Sundance Asian American Fellow. He was a mentor for the 2024 CAAM Fellowship and recipient of the 2024 Rockwood Documentary Leaders Fellowship.
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
- Sundance Institute Asian American Fellow, 2022
- Official Selection – American Film Showcase, Atomic Café: The Noisiest Corner in J-Town 2021
- Best Documentary Short, Atomic Café: The Noisiest Corner in J-Town, Austin Asian American Film Festival, 2021
- Best Documentary Short, Atomic Café: The Noisiest Corner in J-Town, Asian American Film Festival of Oregon, 2021
- Best Documentary Short, Atomic Café: The Noisiest Corner in J-Town, Highland Park Independent Film Festival, 2021
- Honorable Mention, Atomic Café: The Noisiest Corner in J-Town, RiverRun Film Festival, 2021
- Firelight Media Fellow, 2020-2022
- Emmy Award, Los Angeles Area – Arts, Masters of Modern Design: The Art of the Japanese American Experience, 2020
- 40 Filmmakers Under 40 – DOC NYC Film Festival, 2019
- Emmy Award Nomination, Northern California Area – Cultural/Historical Documentary, Mele Murals, 2018
- Inspirational Filmmaker Award – Watsonville Film Festival, 2017
- Best Documentary Feature, Mele Murals – One Nation Film Festival, 2017
- Best Documentary Feature, Mele Murals – Asian American Film Festival of Oregon, 2017
- Best Documentary Feature, Mele Murals – Guam International Film Festival, 2016
- Best Documentary Feature, Mele Murals – Monarch Film Festival, 2016
- Best Documentary Audience Award, Mele Murals – Houston Asian American Pacific Islander Film Festival, 2017
- Best Documentary Audience Award, Mele Murals – Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, 2016
- Best Documentary Audience Award, Mele Murals – CAAMFest San Jose, 2016
- Special Jury Award, Mele Murals – International Pacific Documentary Film Festival, 2017
- Special Jury Award, Mele Murals – Hawai’i International Film Festival, 2016
- Special Jury Award, Mele Murals – Santa Cruz Film Festival, 2016
- Best Editing, Mele Murals – Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2017
- Official Selection – American Film Showcase, Mele Murals, 2017
- Keepers of Culture Award, Mele Murals – Fist Up Film Festival, 2017
- Remi Special Jury Award, Mele Murals – WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, 2017
- National Endowment for the Arts Media Arts grant for production of Mele Murals, 2015
- Emerging Filmmaker Award, Sacramento Japanese Film Festival, 2014
- Film Audience Award, Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings – Gotham Independent Film Awards, 2013
- Best Documentary Audience Award, Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings – Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2013
- Best Editor, Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings – Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2013
- Best Documentary Audience Award, Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings – Ashland Independent Film Festival 2013
- Honorable Mention, Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings – Columbus International Film & Video Festival 2012
- Honorable Mention, Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings – UrbanWorld Film Festival, 2012
- Best Medium Length Film, Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings – DocuWest Film Festival 2012
- Official Selection – American Film Showcase, Pilgrimage, 2012
- Awarded National Endowment for the Arts filmmaker’s grant for production of Jake Shimaburo: Life On Four Strings, 2011
- 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