Dean Yamada

Cicada is the story of Jumpei-- a man who loses sight of his progeny when he finds out he is infertile, but then is given the gift of clairvoyance and begins to see glimpses of the future. These glimpses lead him to a series of cicada shells, which become symbolic of his desire to shed his old self. Though his lineage ends with himself, Jumpei starts anew as a father-figure to his sister's young son.

Tamotsu is expecting a persimmon to dry and yet he cannot accept that it is time for a man on his deathbed to die. As the persimmon mysteriously, or supernaturally, holds out from drying, so Tamotsu tries his hardest to keep the man alive. Only when Tamotsu has let go can the persimmon take its natural course.

In order to escape the reality of his depressive state, a man imagines his life as a goofy Seinfeld-esque 90s sitcom. But when the lines between reality and fantasy are blurred, his double life begins to crumble.

A co-worker confronts Mamoru on his apparent apathy toward life, and this results in Mamoru leaving his job out of humiliation. Now alone and without work, just as it seems that things could not possibly get worse, parts of Mamoru's bicycle begin to disappear, one by one. In frustration, Mamoru leaves a note for the thief, begging him to just take the whole thing. The note left in response is signed God, leaving Mamoru only more confused. At last, when the only remaining piece of the bicycle is a lonely bell, Mamoru receives an envelope, containing addresses at which each piece of the bicycle might be retrieved.

Upon inheriting a mystical cottage on the anniversary of her brother’s fateful disappearance, Ella Grimm must learn to believe in make-believe when she finds herself magically whisked away to the Land of Nod.

A guilt-ridden bounty hunter, haunted by a massacre he unwittingly caused, partners with his manipulative father to track a vengeful outlaw, only to face a moral reckoning when their final standoff reveals the true cost of his past actions.

In September of 1968, middle schooler Rita Pettis runs into her neighbor's niece rocking an afro, the first she's ever seen. When encouraged to try the new hair-do, she reports to school only to find herself suspended for wearing her natural hair.

A pensive 11-year-old girl challenges the status quo with a group of misfit friends while attending a religious summer camp.

A male #metoo story set in the classical music world.

In a country of haves and have nots, the fates of two dogs from opposite ends of society have profound effects on the families who own them.

Kaz, a Japanese college student, is thrown into a world of depression after his best friend is murdered in America. Elsewhere, a girl named Michi stands in front of a grave high in the mountains of Japan. Kaz embarks on a spiritual journey, where he crosses paths with Michi who is trying to escape the influence of Ito, the leader of a suicide club. Will Kaz and Michi go through with their self-destructive plans, or will divine intervention show them a way out?

A boy suffers from wanderlust and longs to see the world.

Told through the eyes of her little brother, 17 year old Autumn struggles to heal from an eating disorder.

A making-of documentary for the short film Ever-Flowing, directed by Lauren Good. Crafted as a love letter from the entire crew to their director.

A runaway asylum patient hallucinates about stalking his college professor.