Chris Tashima

Chris Tashima is an award-winning American actor, director and screenwriter. He has starred in numerous independent feature films, most notably as the romantic lead opposite Joan Chen, Allison Sie, Kelly Hu and Autumn Reeser, in Eric Byler's "Americanese" (2006). Other recent roles include the alcoholic father in Lily Mariye's feature directorial debut, "Model Minority" (2012), and Papa in Tim Savage's World War II family drama, "Under the Blood Red Sun" (2014), for which he earned Best Actor in a Supporting Role, from the inaugural Love International Film Festival (2016). Tashima received an Academy Award for directing the dramatic short film, "Visas and Virtue" (1997), inspired by the heroic actions of Holocaust rescuer Chiune Sugihara. He co-wrote the screenplay, adapted from a one-act play by Tim Toyama, and starred as the Humanitarian diplomat, Sugihara. He also directed, co-wrote and starred in the WWII Japanese American internment short film, "Day of Independence" (2003), which was nominated for a NATAS Northern California Area Emmy.