
Kenji Hayasaki
Director/Producer
Born and raised in Japan, Kenji Hayasaki moved to the U.S. as a teenager to pursue filmmaking. After graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, he established his career in New York, bringing cultural insight and a global perspective to every project.
He has directed and produced acclaimed works including Forgotten People, screened at cultural institutions worldwide, and co-produced Out of My Hand, which premiered at Berlinale and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.
Alongside his own films, Kenji has collaborated on hundreds of productions—many from Japan—earning a reputation for creative excellence, seamless cross-cultural collaboration, and the versatility to adapt to projects of any scale.
Japan-U.S. Productions
Bilingual producing and UPM support for Japan-originated projects filming in the U.S.
Selected Works:
Heartnet TV: Harm Reduction (TV Documentary: NHK)
Mytery Trials: Botham Jean case (TV Documentary: Fuji TV)
Unbelievable *Multiple Episodes (TV Documentary: Fuji TV)
Biz Street: DACA and Dreamers (TV Documentary: TBS)
HT: Haruma Miura/Takeru Sato in NYC (Promotional)
One Piece: Times Square Takeover (Commercial)
Kanebo Sensai (Commercial)
TOTO 100th Annversary (Industrial)
Tomomi Itano - 1% (Music Video)
Most Recent Works via Flying Goats, LLC
Festivals / Screenings
As Director/Producer
Forgotten People (2021)
American Indian Film Festival (San Francisco, CA)
Red Nation International Film Festival (Los Angeles, CA)
Minikino Film Week (Bali, Indonesia)
Durango Independent Film Festival (Durango, CO)
Cine Lebu (Lebu, Chile)
Jumara Festival de Cine Indigena de Panama (Panama)
FICSO: International Festival of Social Cinema (Argentina )
International Ethnovideographic Festival (Zamora, Spain )
Cine+Video Indigena (Santiago, Chile)
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/Museum Screenings
Museo Etnografico (Zamora, Spain)
Museo Precolombino (Santiago, Chile)
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)
San Diego Asian Film Festival (San Diego, CA)
+more
Contact
Don't be afraid to reach out.
Copyright 2015