Erik Shirai

FOUNDER / DIRECTOR

Erik Shirai is a self-taught filmmaker based in Japan and Vietnam. His work is shaped by immersion and the close relationships he builds with his subjects. Positioned between cultures, Shirai’s sensitivity brings into focus what is often left unseen: the resilient human spirit.

His debut feature film, The Birth of Saké, received the Special Jury Award for Best Documentary Director at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival and went on to win Best Documentary at the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival. The film was acquired by Netflix and broadcast nationally on PBS.

Shirai’s short film, nowhere to go but everywhere (2022), premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), was an Official Selection of the San Sebastián International Film Festival, and won Best Documentary Short at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. His upcoming feature, Sumo: Spirit Weighs Nothing, offers unprecedented access to the secretive world of sumo and will be released in 2026.

His visual storytelling style was sharpened as a cinematographer on Emmy Award–winning series including No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain and HBO’s Tokyo Vice. Drawing from both documentary and scripted traditions, his films are grounded in realism and shaped by the belief that the most meaningful stories are deeply personal and earned through patience and dedication.

Masako Tsumura

Creative Producer / Director

Born in Japan, Masako Tsumura worked as a local producer for major Japanese TV networks including Fuji TV, TV Tokyo, and NHK. She edited an award winning documentary "Arakimentari" in 2004. In 2008, she directed and produced “Fire Under the Snow,” a feature documentary about the Venerable Palden Gyatso who was a political prisoner for 33 years. The film was premiered at Tribeca, screened at dozens of film festivals worldwide, and the film was distributed theatrically in Japan in 2010. Most recently, she produced “The Birth of Saké,” which won Best Documentary Film at the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival. The film was also an official Selection at the prestigious San Sebastian Film Festival, and aired on PBS POV in 2016. In 2017, the film received the James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Award. Masako received an M.A.in Media Studies from The New School University.