Tadashi "Tad" Nakamura (born c. 1980) is an American documentary filmmaker. He is noted for films about the Asian-American and Japanese-American communities in the United States.
His 2013 film, Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings, received a 2013 Gotham Award.
Education
Nakamura graduated with a bachelor's degree in Asian-American studies from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2003. He received his MFA in Social Documentation from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) in 2008.
Career
Nakamura's films focus on the Japanese American experience. Three of his films, Yellow Brotherhood, Pilgrimage, and A Song for Ourselves, form a documentary trilogy about Asian Americans and the importance of community.
His 2013 film, Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings, is a full-length documentary about Jake Shimabukuro, a Japanese American ukulele virtuoso and composer from Hawaii. The film won the 2013 Gotham Audience Award for Independent Films.
Personal life
Nakamura is a fourth generation Japanese American, born and raised in Los Angeles. His father, Robert A. Nakamura, is also a filmmaker and is sometimes referred to as "the Godfather of Asian American media". His mother is the author and filmmaker Karen L. Ishizuka.
Filmography
- Yellow Brotherhood (2003)
- Pilgrimage (2007)
- A Song for Ourselves (2009)
- Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings (2012)
- Mele Murals (2016)
- Atomic Café: The Noisiest Corner in J-Town (2020)
References
- ^ "Tadashi Nakamura '03". University of California - Los Angeles. May 22, 2015.
- McNulty, Jennifer (January 13, 2008). "Graduate student's film featured at Sundance Film Festival". University of California - Santa Cruz.
- ^ "Japanese American Filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura Wins Gotham Independent Film Award". Pacific Citizen. January 17, 2014.
- "JANM Announces Honorees and Theme for 2016 Annual Gala Dinner". Japanese American National Museum. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- "Tribute Reel to Robert Nakamura: Godfather of Asian American Media". Center for Asian American Media. 24 May 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- Yellow Brotherhood: A Film (DVD). Los Angeles, Calif.: Center for EthnoCommunications of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. 2003. OCLC 66916886.
- Wang, Frances Kai-Hwa (May 25, 2016). "'Mele Murals' Explores Native Hawaiian Identity through Urban Street Art". NBC News. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
- "Q&A with Makers of 'Atomic Café' Documentary". Rafu Shimpo. 2020-09-19. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
Further reading
- "DOC NYC Announces 2nd Annual "40 Under 40" List". IFC Center LLC. 2020. Nakamura was included in this list compiled for the DOC NYC film festival.
- Sun, Abby (August 26, 2019). "When Filmmaker and Subject Are Father and Son: Tadashi and Robert Nakamura in Their "Third Act"". Independent Television Service.
External links
- Tadashi Nakamura at IMDb
- "Tadashi Nakamura | Director/Editor". Retrieved 2020-09-26. Nakamura's personal website.