CONTACT

Reina Higashitani

Asian Of Asian Descent

A Japanese writer/director and educator based in Arizona and New York, exploring transnational experiences of Asian and women’s lives. She has produced over 50 fiction and documentary projects. Her writer/director credits include Resettlement – Chicago Story, winner of the Special Jury Prize at New York Japan CineFest; Frog Catcher, winner of the Audience Award for Best Mix Short at Roze Filmdagen Amsterdam LGBTQ Film Festival; and the Tokyo Video Festival Excellence Award-winning Shall We Sing? (PBS). Her producing credits include Francis Ford Coppola’s live cinema Distant Vision, Sundance Official Selection Kusama – Infinity, and the Academy Award-nominated documentary Redemption, as well as HBO’s No Contract, No Cookies and Wartorn 1861–2010.

Format: Scripted Shorts, Scripted Feature, Unscripted Features, Unscripted Shorts

Genre: Asian, Coming of Age, Documentary, Drama, Environmental, Family, Historical, LGBTQ+, People of Color, Women

Location: Arizona, United States, New York, New York, United States

Award for Creative Excellence, Japan Association of Audiovisual Producers (JAAP) , 2025

Special Jury Prize, New York Japan CineFest, 2024

Audience Award for Best Mix Short, Roze Filmdagen Amsterdam LGBTQ Film Festival , 2021

Finalist, KCET/PBS Fine Cut Festival of Films, 2020

Excellence Award and People’s Award, JVC Tokyo Video Festival, 2007