In 2013, I co-directed the film "Hafu - the mixed-race experience in Japan" The film went on to play theatrically in Japan, air on public television in the United States, and screen in community and educational institutions in over 20 countries. Since then, I have spoken at hundreds of events, given a TEDx talk, and lectured at countless universities and high schools. News outlets such as the New York Times, the Japan Times, and Al Jazeera regularly ask me for commentary. To this day, I continue to make films about the greater diaspora of multi-ethnic Japanese. My desire to understand the experience has only grown.
Through The Hafu Experience, I want to create a space where hafus and their families feel safe to share their stories, ask questions, and build community. I want to offer resources both through my own work and by sharing the contributions others have made. I want to dig deeper into what shapes our identities, understand the long term impact of the discrimination and challenges we face, as well as celebrate the unique perspective and opportunities that our experience affords us. Ultimately, I want to help people find their ibasho - the Japanese word for 'sense of belonging.'
I'll be honest, starting this is a bit scary. I've ping-ponged between learning Japanese and English my whole life, and thus I'm not a natural-born writer. I'd eventually like to make this site fully bilingual but that feels daunting at the moment. For now, I'll start where I can.
２０１３年にドキュメンタリー映画『ハーフ』を制作しました。映画は日本で劇場公開され、アメリカではPBSで放送され、２０各国の教育機関やコミュニティ上映会で上映されました。それ以来、いろんなイベントでトークを行いました。ジャパン・タイムズ、ニューヨーク・タイムズ、アルジャジーラなどに掲載されました。ハーフについての映画制作は今にも続いています。
このサイトを通してハーフ達の経験、アイデンティティ、加藤、喜びをより深く探ってみたいです。正直に言いますと、日本語・英語代わらず文章を書くのは苦手です。毎回、バイリンガルで書くことはきっと無理ですが、できるだけ頑張っていきたいと思います。
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