Draft:Masahiro Sugano

Masahiro Sugano is a Japanese-American filmmaker known for his work in documentary filmmaking and multimedia art. He has received recognition and awards throughout his career.

Early Life and Education
Sugano earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Cal State Northridge and a Master of Fine Arts in film/animation from the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Biography
Sugano's work spans various mediums, including cinemas, museums, schools, and prisons. He is the founder of Studio Revolt, a media lab focusing on videos concerning Cambodian deportations.

One notable project is the documentary CAMBODIAN SON, which received awards such as the Best Documentary Award at CAAMFEST 2014 and the Special Jury Prize at the Cultural Resistance Film Fest of Lebanon 2014. He also received the 2013 Center for Asian American Media’s Innovation Fund for his series Verses in Exile.

Sugano received funding for HEADLOCK, a short magical realism film set in the Pacific Northwest, which explores themes of urban decay and human connection.

Sugano is an artist-in-residence at the University of Washington Bothell, where he teaches filmmaking.

As a diasporic filmmaker, Sugano's work challenges conventional narratives of identity politics. His collaborative media lab Studio Revolt has produced spoken word videos merging cinematic sensibility with populist poetry.

Awards

 * 1997
 * Nomination (Hisao) - Student Academy Awards
 * 1998
 * Best Animation (Hisao) - IFC’s Student Film Competition
 * 2001
 * Honorable Mention (Super Kamada) - Ann Arbor Film Festival
 * 2010
 * Grand Prize Award (1700% Project: Mistaken for Muslim) - LinkTV’s One Nation film competition
 * 2012
 * Popular Vote Win (My Asian Americana) - White House’s AAPI “What’s Your Story” Video Contest
 * Best Performance (Why I Write) - Zebra Poetry Film Festival Berlin
 * 2013
 * Center for Asian American Media Innovation Fund Award for Verses in Exile web series
 * 2014
 * Best Documentary (Cambodian Son) - Center for Asian American Media Festival
 * 2015
 * Audience Award (Cambodian Son) - Bali International Film Festival
 * Best Film (Cambodian Son) - Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival
 * 2016
 * Sovereign Asian Art Prize with Anida Yoeu Ali (The Buddhist Bug Project)
 * Best Documentary (Cambodian Son) - National Asian American Journalist Association
 * Audience Award (Cambodian Son) - Luang Prabang Film Festival
 * 2017
 * TAIP Grant by Tacoma Arts Commission
 * GAP Artist Trust Award

Filmography
Masahiro Sugano's filmography showcases his diverse range of works across various genres and formats:


 * 1997
 * Hisao, Photo Collage Animation/9min/16mm/Color
 * 1998
 * Doghunter, Live Action Short/12min/16mm/B&W
 * 1999
 * Fog in a Can, Live Action Short/9 min/16mm/Color
 * 2000
 * Super Kamada, Live Action Short/35 min/16mm/Color
 * 2009
 * Art of Love (Second Moon), Live Action Feature/90 min/HD/Color
 * 2010
 * Yarning for Love, Live Action Short/5min/HD/Color
 * Instant Slapping, Live Action Short/14min/HD/Color
 * Maria’s List, Live Action Short/3min/HD/Color
 * 1700% Project: Mistaken for Muslim, Live Action Short/5min/HD/Color
 * 2011
 * Another Day (includes 3 episodes), Live Action Short/21min/HD/Color
 * My Asian Americana, Live Action Short/3min/HD/Color
 * Why I Write, Spoken Word Short/5min/HD/Color
 * 2012
 * Return to Sender, Documentary/8min/HD/Color
 * Neang Neak (Serpent Goddess), Live Action Short/3min/HD/Color
 * 2013
 * Tell Them, Spoken Word Short/3min/HD Color
 * Who’s Got Us, Spoken Word Short/5min/HD/Color
 * Dance, Live Action Short/1min/HD/Color
 * Exiled Stories#1: Tyna and Zar, Documentary/5min/HD/Color
 * Hadeel, Spoken Word Short/3min/HD/Color
 * Unite Us, Spoken Word Short/5min/HD/Color
 * 2014
 * Cambodian Son, Documentary/90min/HD/Color
 * 2015
 * Dreams, Spoken Word Short/3min/HD Color
 * The Buddhist Bug: Into the Night, 2-Channel Video Projection/7min/HD Color
 * Verses in Exile, Web Series/30min/HD/Color
 * 2016
 * Neon Poem, Spoken Word Short/3min/HD Color
 * Hijabs and Hoodies, Animation Short/Xmin/B&W
 * The Red Chador: Threshold (with Anida Yoeu Ali), Short Film/5min/HD Color
 * 2017
 * Exiled Stories (post-production), Short Film series/HD Color
 * Headlock (post-production), Short Film/HD Color
 * 2018
 * Never Again (development), Photo and Video Installation series /HD Color
 * Paper Girl (development), Animation with Paper Cut Artist Lauren Iida/HD Color
 * 2019
 * Transcendental Joe (script development), Feature, HD Color