معرفی
Masami Kawai serves as Assistant Professor of Filmmaking in the Cinema Studies department at the University of Oregon's College of Arts and Sciences. A Los Angeles-born filmmaker of Ryukyuan descent from Amami Island, she explores race, indigeneity, class, gender, and immigrant/settler experiences through her cinematic work while based in Eugene, Oregon.
Her academic foundation includes:
- Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts with concentrations in Radical Pedagogy, Post-Colonial Studies, and Visual Arts from Hampshire College (2003)
- Master of Fine Arts in Film Production with emphasis in Directing from UCLA (2013)
Professor Kawai's research integrates directing, screenwriting, producing, and independent filmmaking with critical examinations of identity and social structures. Her creative practice centers on narrative development that challenges dominant cultural narratives through intersectional perspectives, particularly emphasizing Pacific Islander and immigrant experiences within American contexts. This approach manifests in both her pedagogical methods and artistic output.
Her filmography reveals consistent thematic focus on identity exploration through narrative shorts and experimental works, increasingly incorporating bilingual elements and expanding into feature development. Recent projects demonstrate growing institutional recognition, with current feature development supported by Sundance, Gotham, and university resources, indicating progression toward larger-scale cinematic storytelling.
Her distinguished accolades include:
- Best Narrative Short at Northwest Film Forum’s Film Festival for "TIDES" (2019)
- Best Narrative Short at Eastern Oregon Film Festival for "TIDES" (2019)
- Best Narrative Short at Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival for "ZONA" (2021)
- 2023 Sundance Directing and Screenwriting Lab fellowship
Professor Kawai actively mentors emerging filmmakers within the Cinema Studies program while securing competitive development grants for her own projects. Her creative work has received funding from Flies Collective, Gotham Film & Media Institute, Cine Qua Non Lab, Northwest Film Center, and the University of Oregon, demonstrating sustained success in the highly selective independent film funding landscape.
She maintains active affiliations with national filmmaking networks including Sundance Institute Labs, Film Independent Fast Track Market, and Cine Qua Non Lab, connecting Oregon's film program to major industry development pipelines while contributing to the university's creative research mission through her ongoing feature development work.
