SPOTLIGHT ON STEVEN OKAZAKI

With a career spanning over 25 years, encompassing more than two dozen films and recognized by countless awards (including an Oscar and a Peabody), Steven Okazaki is one of the most celebrated and prolific documentary filmmakers working today. His body of work is a cornerstone of Asian American cinema, unparalleled in its depth, influence and impact, and pioneering in bringing untold stories to the screen. On its 25th anniversary, NAATA is pleased to honor the work and career of Steven Okazaki.

Born in Venice, California, Okazaki began making films in 1976, with A-M-E-R-I-C-A-N-S, a children's film about racism. His first feature documentary, SURVIVORS, gave voice to Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors, and laid the foundation for his groundbreaking collection of work exploring Japanese American history. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1985 for UNFINISHED BUSINESS, which chronicled the challenge to the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, and won an Oscar in 1991 for DAYS OF WAITING, the story of artist Estelle Ishigo, one of the few Caucasians to be interned during this period. His feature narrative film LIVING ON TOKYO TIME premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1987.

Over the past decade, Okazaki has shifted his focus to people and lives torn apart by AIDS and drug abuse. His short film ALONE TOGETHER: YOUNG ADULTS LIVING WITH HIV was honored with an UNESCO Award in 1995, and the critically praised BLACK TAR HEROIN: THE DARK END OF THE STREET was nominated for an Emmy in 1999. His most recent feature documentary, REHAB, will premiere in March 2005 on HBO.

An essential part of the American documentary landscape, Steven Okazaki has consistently created revelatory films which illuminate the stories of those in between and on the margins, weaving them into the rich fabric that is this country. The 2005 SFIAAFF is pleased to present AN EVENING WITH STEVEN OKAZAKI, which includes the world premiere of his new short film THE MUSHROOM CLUB and a live on-stage chat. The Festival will also present two programs of his award-winning films.

Complete Filmography: A-m-e-r-i-c-a-n-s (1976), A Little Joke (1978), Survivors (1982), Unfinished Business (1985), Living On Tokyo Time (1987), Hunting Tigers (1988), Days of Waiting (1990), Troubled Paradise (1992), The Lisa Theory (1993), American Sons (1994), Alone Together: Young Adults Living with HIV (1995), Life Was Good: The Claudia Peterson Story (1996). Black Tar Heroin: The Dark Side of the Street (1999), The Mushroom Club (2005), Rehab (2005)