Producers/Directors

Emiko began her career as a filmmaker and cinematographer in 1968, when there were few camerawomen and fewer still Asian American camerawomen. Her first job was as camerawoman/editor on the KQED program, “Newsroom.” She left KQED in 1972 and, since then, has freelanced as a cinematographer on many award-winning films, and traveled extensively with her work in addition to producing her own films. In 1991, she wrote and directed the highly acclaimed drama, Hot Summer Winds, a co-production of American Playhouse and KCET. In January 1999, her documentary/memoir, Rabbit in the Moon, about her family’s confinement in a World War II American internment camp, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, was broadcast on POV, and went on to win a National Emmy for Outstanding Historical Program and numerous other awards. At Sundance she was awarded the Best Documentary Cinematography award for Rabbit in the Moon and for her work on Academy Award nominee Regret to Inform. She produced the series Pacific Diaries and the show Skin Stories for Pacific Islanders in Communications. In 2005 she produced and directed one of the programs, Ripe for Change, for the upcoming four part PBS series California and the American Dream. She has taught at USC, San Francisco City College, and at San Francisco State University.

Wendy has produced and directed in almost every facet of the entertainment media industry--American Playhouse, Disney, Showtime, PBS, CBS, and VH-1; has made educational and documentary films for Lucas Film Learning, Harcourt Brace, Sundance Institute, Nature Company, and Apple Computer; and has designed and produced a number of CD-ROMS and Web Sites. She has been honored with several Emmy and ACE nominations, a “1000 Points of Light” award, as well as awards from the New York Film Festival, Houston Film Festival, Hawaii Film Festival, and several Cine Golden Eagle Awards. She has created film projects for the Herb Alpert Foundation, Carlos and Deborah Santana’s Foundation, Woman’s Funding Network, among others. Recently she has consulted for the series Pacific Diaries and the show Skin Stories for Pacific Islanders in Communications. She also served as editor for Ripe for Change, one of the shows for the upcoming four part PBS series California and the American Dream. In addition to her own productions, she served as producer on Emiko Omori’s Hot Summer Winds. She created the video department at the College of Marin, and has guest lectured at SF State University, University of CA Extension, and Antioch College.