Masami Kawai is a Los Angeles-born filmmaker who lives in Eugene, Oregon. She’s of Ryukyuan descent from the island of Amami. Her work integrates issues of race, indigeneity, class, gender, and what it means to be an immigrant/settler in the United States. Kawai’s work has screened at various venues, including the Rotterdam Film Festival, LACMA, and Indie Memphis. Her film ZONA won Best Narrative Short at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.

She’s an Assistant Professor of Filmmaking at the University of Oregon. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Hampshire College and her MFA in Directing from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television.

Currently, her first feature has garnered support from institutions such as Flies Collective, Gotham (previously IFP), Cine Qua Non screenwriting lab, PAMCUT, and the University of Oregon. 

Most recently, she was a 2023 Sundance Directing and Screenwriting Lab Fellow.