Christopher Makoto Yogi

Christopher Makoto Yogi is an American filmmaker from Hawaiʻi,[1] best known for his feature films August at Akiko's (2018) and I Was a Simple Man (2021),[2] which premiered at major international film festivals and received critical recognition.

Career

Yogi's debut feature film, August at Akiko's, premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2018 and received positive reviews.[3][4][5] The film stars Alex Zhang Hungtai and was released theatrically by Factory 25.[6] It was listed among the best films of 2019 by Richard Brody in The New Yorker.[7]

His subsequent feature, I Was a Simple Man, starring Constance Wu,[8] premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.[9] The project participated in the Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Labs[10] and was released theatrically by Strand Releasing.[11] It won the Grand Jury Prize at the San Diego Asian Film Festival,[12] the Made in Hawaiʻi Award at the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival,[13] and was listed as the fourth-best film of 2021 by The New Yorker.[14]

Yogi's experimental work has screened at the Museum of Modern Art[15] and Flaherty NYC.[16] His short films include Occasionally, I Saw Glimpses of Hawaiʻi[17] and Obake (Ghosts).[18]

Filmography

Film credits
Year Title Credited as Notes
2009Layover, on the Shore[19][20]Director, co-writerShort film
2011Obake[21][18]Director, writer, editorShort film
2016Occasionally, I Saw Glimpses of Hawaiʻi[22]Director, editorShort film
2018August at Akiko's[4]Director, writer, editor
2021I Was a Simple Man[23]Director, writer, editor

References

  1. ↑ Ricafort, Justin (October 26, 2021). "Warm skin, cold bones: Christopher Makoto Yogi on 'I Was a Simple Man'". From the Intercom. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  2. ↑ Dekneef, Matthew (March 3, 2022). "The Cinematic Poetry of Christopher Makoto Yogi". FLUX. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  3. ↑ "August at Akiko's". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Lodge, Guy (February 13, 2018). "Film Review: 'August at Akiko's'". Variety. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  5. ↑ Goi, Leonardo (May 18, 2019). "Review: 'August at Akiko's' is a Whimsical, Hawaii-Set Tale of Belonging". The Film Stage. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  6. ↑ "August at Akiko's". Factory 25. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  7. ↑ Brody, Richard (December 4, 2019). "The Best Movies of 2019". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  8. ↑ Galuppo, Mia (February 1, 2021). "'I Was a Simple Man': Constance Wu, Christopher Yogi on Hawaii's Indie Film Community". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  9. ↑ "I Was a Simple Man". Sundance Film Festival. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Sundance Institute Announces 14 Projects Selected for 2015 June Directors and Screenwriters Labs at Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah, May 25-June 25". Sundance Institute. May 7, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  11. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (May 11, 2021). "Sundance Film 'I Was a Simple Man' Acquired by Strand Releasing for North America (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Announcing the 2021 SDAFF Award Winners". San Diego Asian Film Festival. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  13. ↑ "HIFF41 Announces Festival Award Winners". Hawaiʻi International Film Festival. November 15, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  14. ↑ Brody, Richard (December 2, 2021). "The Best Movies of 2021". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  15. ↑ "i nā kiʻi ma mua, nā kiʻi ma hope: A Screening Program from Hawaiʻi". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  16. ↑ "2023 Fall FNYC". The Flaherty. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Occasionally, I Saw Glimpses of Hawaiʻi". The Criterion Channel. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  18. 1 2 "Obake". The Criterion Channel. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Layover, on the Shore". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Layover, on the Shore". The Criterion Channel. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  21. ↑ cinephiliabeyond (October 25, 2014). "Christopher Yogi's 'Obake' Is a Touching Piece of a Beautiful Albeit Sad Dream". Cinephilia & Beyond. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Occasionally, I Saw Glimpses of Hawaiʻi". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  23. ↑ Staff, Filmmaker (January 30, 2021). ""My Collaborators Are Geniuses": Editor Christopher Makoto Yogi on I Was a Simple Man". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
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