For nearly 35 years, I have worked as an independent filmmaker/videographer in New York, Hawaii, and most recently, the San Francisco Bay area. In 2019, my first feature documentary, JOURNEY TO HOKUSAI, was screened world-wide. Since 2020, I have been working closely with FIRE SAFE MARIN to produce educational videos on wildfire safety. My new feature documentary, KINOBU - Food, Tradition, and Identity, has world-premiered at the Hawaii International Film Festival in October, 2025 and had a month-long run at the Lark Theater (Larkspur, CA) in November, 2025.
ニューヨーク、ハワイ、サンフランシスコでテレビ／映画制作に携わっておよそ35年。2019年作の初長編ドキュメンタリー、JOURNEY TO HOKUSAI は世界各地の映画祭で上映される。2020年から山火事対策機関 FIRE SAFE MARIN で一般向けの教育ビデオ制作を続ける。2024年に２作目「木乃婦 - 食、伝統、アイデンティティ」が完成。2025年10月にハワイ国際映画祭で初公開。11月には、地元の映画館で1ヶ月の上映。さらに３作目 The Last Boatbuilder (最後の和船大工) を制作中。2026年末完成予定。
The Last Boatbuilder (in production)
We’re fundraising! Please click this link and learn more about the project.
For centuries, traditional wooden boats throughout Japan played an important role both commercially and culturally. And now, as the demand for these boats significantly declined, there is almost no active boatbuilder left. With that, the art of Japanese traditional wooden boatbuilding is also disappearing. An American boatbuilder, Douglas Brooks has become a vanguard of this tradition. Since 1990’s, he has traveled all across Japan, met numerous boatbuilders, and apprenticed with 9 master builders. Now he is the last boatbuilder of 7 different types of regional wooden boats.
For this project, Douglas is apprenticing with the last boatbuilder of a cormorant fishing boat in Miyoshi, Hiroshima. His goat is to learn, document, and share the knowledge for the future generations.
“Kinobu was a masterpiece. Filmmaker found all the beauty and humor in the fine restaurant world.” Tom K.
“It was perfection! Mesmerizing and meditating! Filmmaker is a genius.” Linda B.
KINOBU - Food, Tradition, and Identity
As you enter from the busy street of downtown Kyoto, you experience the serenity of Kinobu. You pass through a long narrow corridor to be greeted by staff, where you take off your shoes, and are led to a private room with a garden view.
Watching the film is an immersive experience. You experience a world of culinary art, craftsmanship, and community. You see how different traditional art forms are intertwined with each other. The film reveals how food embodies Japanese aesthetic sensibilities through its presentation, color, and connection to each season.
JOURNEY TO HOKUSAI
Tom Killion has long held a dream – to go to Japan and learn a traditional method of printing by hand. Deeply touched by the artist Hokusai’s prints when he was a child, Tom has for almost 50 years successfully created iconic California landscape prints. This film follows Tom’s journey to Japan to finally learn the traditional technique from Kenji Takenaka -- a 5th generation printer in Kyoto. This film also examines the source of aesthetics found in Japanese art, crafts, and lifestyle.
ADAPT TO WILDFIRE
FIRE SAFE MARIN has recently launched its “Adapt to Wildfire” campaign that focuses on empowering residents to take part in reducing community risk from wildfire.. This short film has been shown at local theaters and on social media as part of the campaign.
BEING SEEN
I’ve been working with LIFEHOUSE for over a decade — capturing and creating stories about people with developmental disabilities. This short documentary candidly reveals their self-awareness, hopes, and dreams. I served as co-producer, co-cinematographer, and co-editor.
THE TEST & THE ART OF THINKING
"It's a film that doggedly questions an exam that affects the futures of millions and feeds the fortunes of several big industries." - New York Times
I served as co-cinematographer.
