Tadashi Nakamura (filmmaker)


Tadashi "Tad" Nakamura is a Los Angeles-based Japanese American filmmaker.

Personal life

Nakamura is a fourth generation Japanese American, born and raised in Los Angeles. His father, Robert A. Nakamura, is also a filmmaker and is sometimes referred to as "the Godfather of Asian American media". His mother is the author and filmmaker Karen L. Ishizuka.

Career

Nakamura's films focus on the Japanese American experience. Three of his films, Yellow Brotherhood, Pilgrimage, and A Song for Ourselves, form a documentary trilogy about Asian Americans and the importance of community. His most recent film, Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings, is a full-length documentary about Jake Shimabukuro, a Japanese American ukulele virtuoso and composer from Hawaii. The film won the 2013 Gotham Independent Film Audience Award.

Education

Nakamura received a M.A. in Social Documentation from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2008. He received a B.A. in Asian American Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2003. His father is also a graduate of UCLA.

Filmography