Ann Kaneko
Directing
Biography
Ann Kaneko is an award-winning, LA-based independent filmmaker. Her films include A Flicker in Eternity (2011); Against the Grain: An Artist's Survival Guide to Perú (2008); Overstay (1998),100% Human Hair (2002) and Action Conversations: Bellows Falls (2014). Her projects have been funded by the Japan Foundation, Hoso Bunka Foundation, a Fulbright Fellowship and the Center for Cultural Innovation and been commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Skirball Cultural Center, Japanese American National Museum and the Getty Center. She has collaborated with choreographers Victoria Marks, Cid Pearlman and Kristen Smiarowski. She participated in the AFI Directing Workshop for Women and received an MFA in film directing from UCLA.
Known For
A Flicker in Eternity is the coming-of-age tale of Stanley Hayami, a talented young teenager caught between his dream of becoming a writer/artist and his duty to his country.
A Flicker in Eternity
100% Human Hair is an action-packed musical extravaganza set in a Los Angeles wig shop. Threatened by eviction, Mr. Kim struggles to keep the business afloat for his motley crew of employees and customers while his yuppy daughter pressures him to retire. Can he keep the shop alive? Eureka! His streetwise granddaughter has a plan. 100% Human Hair ranges from country to opera, surprising with every song. . . .
100% Human Hair
Ever since the onset of her dementia, reality, dream and nightmare have become intertwined for Rose, making her something like a maverick time traveler. Her filmmaker daughter Rea Tajiri is also her caregiver. In this fond portrait, she visualizes Rose’s spiritual, philosophical and sometimes surprisingly specific stories in the order they come: a non-linear sequence illustrated by her own footage shot over many years, accompanied by snatches of conversations and images from the family archive. Rose’s eventful journey through time is rich with memories and sensitively accompanied by a fitting soundtrack.
Wisdom Gone Wild
From the majestic peaks of the snow-capped Sierras to the parched valley of Payahuunadü, “the land of flowing water,” MANZANAR, DIVERTED: WHEN WATER BECOMES DUST poetically weaves together memories of intergenerational women. Native Americans, Japanese-American WWII incarcerees and environmentalists form an unexpected alliance to defend their land and water from Los Angeles.
Manzanar, Diverted: When Water Becomes Dust
This documentary, filmed between 2001 and 2005, tells the story of four Peruvian visual artists: Claudio Jiménez Quispe, a retablo maker from Ayacucho; Alfredo Márquez, an art activist; Eduardo Tokeshi, a renowned Nikkei artist; and Natalia Iguiñiz, an artist and photographer. It showcases their work and their struggle to remain active and creative amidst a repressive social and governmental regime.