Philip Kan Gotanda

A quirky tale that brings together a murder, poisonous mushrooms and a mysterious woman to reveal the ephemeral beauty of life and the unforgiving nature of death. It is the story of a rogue mobster who finds love in the darkest days of his life.

In "The Other Barrio" housing inspector Roberto Morales investigates the suspicious circumstances of a fatal fire in a residential hotel and finds himself drawn into a web of bribery, corruption and murder.

Philip Kan Gotanada explores death, aging , and the effects of internment on a generation of Japanese Americans in Drinking Tea. A dying man leaves his younger wife to move in with an older woman and gain an personal understanding of death and dying.

Wilfred Funai is an office worker who spends his days pushing papers, being taunted by the office bullies, and longingly sneaking peeks at an inviting piece of chocolate. An unexpected event forces Wilfred to break out of his unremarkable life to perform a heroic act and save another human being’s life. In this black and white Jacques Tati-esque homage to a laconic anti-hero, Gotanda references one of the most tragic periods in San Francisco history.