A Film by Naghmeh Shirkhan

SYNOPSIS

Set in the heart of New York City, Maki is a modern love story depicting a young Japanese woman’s coming of age. Maki and Tommy can no longer conceal their hidden affair once they learn she's pregnant with his child. Their charismatic and persuasive boss, Mika, steps in and takes control. The story unsettles as it unfolds, revealing each character’s true intentions.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

I wanted to explore themes of love and loss, power and manipulation through a new lens and I found ample inspiration in the Japanese Diaspora. These characters left Japan seeking change, but the deeper human need for belonging threw them back together in the Japanese subculture of New York City. The possibilities for dramatic tension captured my imagination and the story allowed me to experiment with form and style. Maki is a labor of love, made in the spirit of independent films by directors I admire like Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, Goddard, Cassavetes, Varda, as well as Persian directors like Kiarostami and Amir Naderi to name a few.

CAST

Mieko Harada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mika/Mama-San
Julian Cihi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tommy
Naomi Sundberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eva/Maki
Yurika Ohno . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Yumiko
Blanca Vivancos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Violet

CREW

Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Naghmeh Shirkhan
Screenplay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Naghmeh Shirkhan
Japanese Translation . . . . . . . . . Yuichi Tazawa
Directors of Photography . . . . . Ben Wolf (US), Katsunori Yanagijima (Tokyo)
Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . Naghmeh Shirkhan, Shogo Yokoyama
Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Patricia and Noel Brennan
Sound Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matt Gundy, Tom Paul
Sound Recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Salomone
Set Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anna Kathleen
Costumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hannah Kittel
Hair/Make-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amanda Forsyth / EITA
Production Manager . . . . . . . . . . JB Bruno
Producer/Line Producer . . . . . . . Nicky Akmal
Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shohreh Golparian
Associate Producer . . . . . . . . . . . Curtis Smith
Production Companies . . . . . . . .Ugly Productions / Small Talk Inc.
Graphic Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elizabeth Grove

NAGHMEH SHIRKHAN

Born in Iran, Naghmeh Shirkhan moved to America with her family a year before the Islamic Revolution. Her father returned to Tehran while the rapidly ensuing Iran-Iraq war prompted her mother to remain in America indefinitely. The experience of separation, displacement, and the struggles of starting anew are major themes in Naghmeh’s work. In 2010 her first arthouse feature, The Neighbor (Hamsayeh), hit the festival circuit to wide critical acclaim. Soon after, she began working on her second feature, Maki.

Education

Boston University; Bachelor of Science in Broadcasting and Film 1994

Feature Films

2017: Maki, Fiction, 90min, 4K, Color, Japan/USA

2010: The Neighbor (Hamsayeh), Fiction, 108 min,

HD, Color, USA/Canada, theneighbor-film.com