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SCREENWRITER
Velina Hasu Houston
Velina Hasu Houston is an internationally celebrated writer with over 28 commissions in theatre and opera. While she is foremost a playwright, her writing includes theatre, film, television, essays, poetry, and journalism. In New York, US nationwide, and globally, her work has been produced to critical acclaim at many prestigious institutions. For film and television, she has written work-for-hire for several mainstream companies and independent producers. While her work explores a variety of themes, it also is the most-produced work about the Japanese female experience in the U.S. Honored by the Kennedy Center, Smithsonian Institute, Rockefeller Foundation, Japan Foundation, Wallace Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and others, she founded graduate studies in playwriting at the USC School of Dramatic Arts, where she is Distinguished Professor of Theatre in Dramatic Writing, Director of Dramatic Writing, and Resident Playwright. A Fulbright Scholar, she was on the U.S. Department of State's Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission for six years. In Japan, she has served as visiting faculty at key institutions. Her archives are with the U.S. Library of Congress and the Huntington Library. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild, Writers Guild of America-West, Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights, and League of Professional Theatre Women; and an Associate Artist of Playwrights’ Arena. Currently, she is Bookwriter for a musical project. For more information, click here.
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PRODUCER
Ko Mori
Ko Mori is a film producer and distributor. Originally from Japan, Ko now resides in Los Angeles, where he acts as the President and CEO of ELEVEN ARTS. ELEVEN ARTS distributes primarily Japanese Anime to the American market, and produces films in the US and globally. He has previously produced, LORDS OF CHAOS (2018 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection; Dir. Jonas Akerlund), DOWNRANGE (2017 Toronto International Film Festival Official Selection; Dir. Ryuhei Kitamura) MAN FROM RENO (2015 Independent Spirit Award Nominee; Dir. Dave Boyle), UZUMASA LIMELIGHT (2014 Winner of Best Picture and Best Actor at Fantasia International Film Festival; Dir. Ken Ochiai), and other film and tv programs. Ko is currently in Pre-Production for PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND, a feature film directed by Sion Sono, and starring Nicolas Cage and Imogen Poots.
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DIRECTOR
Tamara Ruppart
Tamara Ruppart is an award-winning director and producer, originally from New York City. She has worked as a director, producer and actor in both theater and film. On stage, she has directed KOMACHI, A THOUSAND CRANES, THE FANTASITCKS, STRIKE-SLIP, two productions of Velina Hasu Houston's KOKORO (TRUE HEART), and the world premiere of EXTINCTION. On film, she has directed RISING SUN, RISING SOUL (doc) and Japanese-language PATH OF DREAMS (short). She recently directed 14 episodes (Season 1) of THE KOOL SCHOOL, an educational TV series, and she is currently developing two features.
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