Koji Steven Sakai has written two feature films that have been produced; Haunted Highway (2006) and The People I’ve Slept With (2009).
Koji is a graduate from the University of Southern California’s Masters of Professional Writing program. He studied under teachers such as Syd Field, Oscar nominated writer/producer/director and three-time Writers Guild of America president Mel Shavelson (Houseboat, The Seven Little Foys), and iconic novelist Hubert Selby Jr. (Last Exit to Brooklyn, Requiem for a Dream).
He has held several fellowships, starting with the most recent, which include: The Writers Boot Camp Fellowship (2009), The Producers Guild: Power of Diversity Workshop (2009), Film Independent’s Project: Involve (2007), Visual Communication’s Armed with a Camera (2006), and Screenwriting Expo 4: New Visions Fellowship award (2005).
Koji’s first film, Haunted Highway, was directed by Junichi Suzuki and distributed by Lions Gate DVD. He co-wrote it with Naoko Ihara Witmer and the director. Koji also wrote and produced The People I Slept With (www.thepeopleivesleptwith.com), a feature romantic comedy directed by Quentin Lee (Shopping for Fangs, Drift, Ethan Mao) and staring Karin Anna Cheung (Better Luck Tomorrow), Wilson Cruz (My So-Called Life, Rent, He’s Just Not that Into You), Archie Kao (Power Rangers, CSI), and James Shigeta (Flower Drum Song, Midway). The People I Slept With premiered in the fall of 2009 and has played at prestigious festivals such as Los Angeles’ Fusion Outfest Film Festival, Sao Paulo International Film Festival, and the Golden Horse Film Festival in Taiwan. The film enjoyed a short theatrical run in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles and is on MTV’s Logo TV and released on DVD by Maya Entertainment in April of 2011.
In addition to his work in film, Koji is a regular contributor to Discover Nikkei (www.discovernikkei.org/en/) and 8Asians (www.8Asians.com). He also contributed a story (Meet Joe) to Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology, the first graphic novel anthology written/drawn/and about Asian Americans. Secret Identities was released by New Press in April of 2009.
Koji is also the manager of public programs at the Japanese American National Museum (www.janm.org). He is in charge of the concerts, lectures, workshops, family days, screenings, and other public events. While at the National Museum, Koji and his producing partner Quentin Lee founded and continue to program the ID Film Festival, which showcases films by Asian Pacific Islander (API) filmmakers for API filmmakers. 2010 was the third year of the festival.
更多
