Imakoko Media is an award winning film production company based in Tokyo and New York. Fluent in both the East and the West, we are passionate about investigating authentic storytelling on all platforms that inspire.
Looking into the future, there are unimaginable possibilities in how we tell stories, which excites us. Together, we can create something truly unique that serves the greater good.
About Us
Masako Tsumura
Director & Producer
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Born in Tokyo, Masako followed her vision from her teenage years, and moved to New York City in 1997. In 2003 she founded Imakoko Media in Tokyo and New York. In 2004, she was an editor for Arakimentari, an award winning feature documentary film about the acclaimed and controversial Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki. In 2008, she directed and produced Fire Under the Snow, a feature documentary film about the Venerable Palden Gyatso, a Tibetan monk who survived 33 years of imprisonment and torture under the Chinese occupation in Tibet. The film premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2008 and won the Special Jury Mention at Miradas Film Festival in 2009. After running a successful festival circuit around the world, it launched a theatrical distribution in New York, Los Angeles, and Tokyo. She produced The Birth of Saké, which won multiple awards, including Best Documentary Film at the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival. Most recently, she co-directed and produced a short hybrid documentary film “nowhere to go but everywhere”, which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Erik Shirai
Director & Cinematographer
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Erik Shirai is a Japanese-American self-taught visual artist and an award winning filmmaker based in New York City and Tokyo. He won 'Special Jury Mention for Best Documentary Director' at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival for his feature film The Birth of Saké, which took an intimate look at the 2000 year old endangered art of handcrafting saké in Northern Japan. The film won Best Documentary Film at the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival and was also an Official Selection at the San Sebastian Film Festival. The film was acquired by Netflix and was broadcasted by PBS/POV. Shirai's visceral and cinematic approach to storytelling has made him a unique visionary in the film world. He honed his skills as a cinematographer for the Emmy award-winning series No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. Shirai’s films were also featured at the TED conference in New York City in 2012. Most recently, he co-directed, cinematographed and edited a short hybrid documentary film “nowhere to go but everywhere”, which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
