• Kenji Hayasaki

    Director/Producer

    Kenji Hayasaki was born and raised in Japan. Having grown up with strong influence of American culture and cinema, he has moved to the U.S. as a teenager by himself.

     

    Since graduating from Tisch School of the Arts, Kenji has directed and produced numerous projects. Many of his works are screened in film festivals internationally and highly recognized by industry professionals.

     

    While he maintains creative independence as a filmmaker, Kenji has worked on hundreds of productions as a key personnel, many of which come from his home country Japan.

     

    Kenji has also co-produced feature film “Out of My Hand”, which premiered in Berlinale, nominated at the Independent Spirit Awards, and distributed by Array.

     

    He is currently working on an independent documentary film on Navajo people, and its short version "Forgotten People" has been selected by film festivals across the world.

     

     

  • Selected Director Works

    Ol' Fren

    Music Video

    Artist: Oyasaba

    Label: The Flatbush Sound

     

    Director/Producer/Editor: Kenji Hayasaki

    Director of Photography: Bob Geile

    Cast: Rhasaan Oyasaba Manning /Daiichiro Yuyama

     

    Oh When My Lady Comes

    Music Video

    Artist: Micah Gaugh Trio

    Label: African Tape

     

    Director/Producer/Editor: Kenji Hayasaki

    Director of Photography: Mira Steinzor

    Hair and Make-up: Kimiyuki Misawa

    Cast: Micah Gaugh/ Lorrain Rigan

    Cyborgata

    Music Video

    Artist: Ari Why

    Label: BNS Sessions

     

    Director/Producer: Kenji Hayasaki

    Director of Photography: Jun Oshima

    Hair and Make-up: Tsuyoshi Watanabe/ Hiroe Goto

    Editor: Takeshi Fukunaga

    Cast: Diogo De Lima/ Ana Lucia Souza

    Cycle Mode International

    TV/ Web Commercial

    Client: Cycle Mode International / TV Osaka

     

    Director/Producer/Editor: Kenji Hayasaki

    Director of Photography: Owen Donovan

     

    Sprush

    Web Commercial

    Client: BluSand

     

    Director/Producer/Editor: Kenji Hayasaki

    Director of Photography: Bob Geile

    Hair and Make-Up: Gina Marie Picciotto

    Navigator: Elena Koshivaki-Hasbun

     

    Other Videos created for BluSand

     

    Brain Bug

    Narrative Short

    Director/Producer/Writer/ Editor: Kenji Hayasaki

    Co-Producer: Rei Hayashi

    Director of Photography: Ryo Murakami

    Sound Designer: Daniel Schlett

    Cast: Christopher Hollowell, Jamahl Garrison-Lowe, Philip Stark, Sumire Taya, Carly Tryens

     

    Forgotten People

    Documentary Short

    Director/Producer/Writer/ Editor: Kenji Hayasaki

    Sound Designer: Robert Lombardo

    Music: 4a Stables

     

    *Please Contact for viewing.

     

  • Selected Producer Works

    Out of My Hand

    Associate Producer

    Narrative Feature

     

    Director/Writer: Takeshi Fukunaga

    Producer/Writer: Donari Braxton

    Producer: Mike Fox

    Director of Photography: Ryo Murakami & Owen Donovan

    Editor: Takeshi Fukunaga & Eugene Yi

    Cast: Bishop Blay, Zenobia Taylor, Duke Murphy Dennis, Rodney Rogers Beckley

     

    Tell Yo Papa

    Line Producer

    Music Video

     

    Artist: IFÉ

    Director/Editor: Amy Leonard

    Director of Photography: Kevin Hayden

    Art Director: TV Alexander

    Hair: Marco Testa

    Make Up: Chad Maxwell

    Japanese Productions

    U.S. Line Producer/ Field Producer / UPM / Coordinator

    *Demo reel is password protected due to copyright policy in Japan. Please contact to view.

    •Bilingual productions ranging from high end commercials to TV documentaries that are produced in Japan and filmed in the U.S.

     

    •List of Clients include: NHK, Fuji TV, Nippon TV, TBS, TV Asahi, WOWOW, Hakuhodo, Dentsu, among many others

     

    •Work examples (featured in local media): 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

     

  • Editor/Shooter/Visual Works

    Editor

    • Japan Day at Central Park (partial)
    • NY Streets (NHK documentary series: 1 episode)
    • CAN: Conscious Action Network (partial)
    • National Jazz Museum in Harlem
    • Nike: See Me (1 episode)
    • Future of Storytelling: teamLab
    • Company / Individual Demo Reels​

    Live Videographer

    Visual Artist/ VJ

    • Space Playground @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
    • Benefit for the Monmouth County Women’s Shelter @ Asbury Lanes
    • Benefit the Brazil Child Health Organization @ Don Pedro’s
    • The Ricecookers Japan Live Tour @ Shibuya LaMama and other venues
    • Brooklyn Wildlife Summer Festival @ PaperBox
    • Japanese Invasion @ Monkeytown
    • BNS Sessions Record Release Party @ Vanishing Point
    • Visual Samples

  • Festivals / Screenings

    As Director/Producer

    Forgotten People (2020~2021)

    American Indian Film Festival (San Francisco, CA/Virtual)

    Red Nation International Film Festival (Los Angeles, CA/ Virtual)

    Minikino Film Week (Bali, Indonesia)

    Durango Independent Film Festival (Durango, CO) 

    Cine Lebu (Lebu, Chile/Virtual) 

    Jumara Festival de Cine Indigena de Panama (Panama/ Virtual)

    FICSO: International Festival of Social Cinema (Argentina / Virtual)

    International Ethnovideographic Festival (Zamora, Spain / Virtual)

    Ficwallmapu (Temuco, Chile)

     

    Ol' Fren (2016)

    European Media Art Festival (Osnabruck, Germany)

    Procida Film Festival (Procida, Italy)

     

    Brain Bug (2009)

    Rome Independent Film Festival (Rome, Italy)

    UTB Hollywood's Picture Battle (Cable TV, CA)

    Queens International Film Festival (Queens, NY)

     

    Balis (2007)

    WorldFest Houston (Houston, TX) *Remy Award Winner

    FEST New Directors New Films Festival (Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal) 

     

    Life (2005)

    Toho Cinemas Student Film Festival (Osaka, Japan)

    Con-Can Movie Festival (Internet, Japan)

    First Run Film Festival (New York, NY) 

     

    Gallery Screenings

    HPGRP Gallery (New York, NY)

    Cave Gallery (Brooklyn, NY)

    Hun Gallery (New York, NY) 

     

    As Producer

    Out of My Hand (2015)

    Berlin International Film Festival/Panorama (Berlin, Germany)

    LA Film Festival (Los Angeles, CA) * Grand Jury Awards Winner

    Independent Spirit Awards /John Cassavetes Award

    Montreal World Film Festival (Montreal, Canada)

    Raindance Film Festival (London, UK)

    Japan Cuts (New York, NY)

    Stockholm Film Festival / Spotlight Section (Stockholm, Norway)

    New Orleans Film Festival (New Orleans, LA)

    +more 

  • Contact

    Don't be afraid to reach out.

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