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Digital Histories is an ongoing creative community of Asian American aunties and uncles turned documentary filmmakers. Supported by Visual Communications, these filmmakers hone their craft through theoretical and practical filmmaking workshops. In a year marked by social unrest, intense wildfires, and the quiet gravity of passing and transition, their practice became a sanctuary for collaboration and community. Together, their resilience brings to light stories that only they can tell.
A month before her college graduation, Hanako visits her Japanese grandmother in New York City for a weekend of connection and discovery.
Director Biography - Justine Kaneda
Justine Kaneda is an interdisciplinary filmmaker and performing artist. As a Japanese American, Justine strives to represent her culture and heritage through an authentic lens. Her work mainly engages with concepts of family dynamics, intergenerational experiences, and identity. Through her work, she seeks to highlight the diversity of the human experience.
She received her M.A. from New York University, where she concentrated in Film Production and Media Studies with a focus on cultural narratives. Previously, she graduated from Stanford University with an Interdisciplinary Honors in the Arts, earning a B.A. in Human Biology with a minor in Theater and Performance Studies.
Justine has screened at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), the Asia Society through New York Japan CineFest, and the Aichi International Women’s Film Festival, and won Best Asian American Pacific Islander Directed Short Film at the Phoenix Film Festival. She is also a Feature Film Programmer for the 49th Asian American International Film Festival.
- Year2025
- Runtime0:15:54
- LanguageEnglish, Japanese
- CountryUnited States
- GenreComing-of-Age, Drama
- Social Media
- DirectorJustine Kaneda, 1st Assistant Director: Louise Wu, Neeko Shi
- ScreenwriterJustine Kaneda
- ProducerJustine Kaneda, Yirong Yin
- CastAkiko Matsumoto, Cat Woods, Daigo Sai, Lily the Cat
- CinematographerDirector of Photography: Angela Kwak, 1st Assistant Camera: Ashley Kim, Spencer Sabath; Gaffer: Jeremy Lu; Grips: Spencer Sabath, Spencer Gronick, Chayne Cooper, Calvin Mumm; Sound Mixer & Boom Operator: Chayne Cooper, Jack Benjamin
- EditorJustine Kaneda
- Production DesignPreproduction/On-set Color Supervisor: Juliette Ho
- ComposerPanzhen Wu
- Sound DesignSound Designer & ADR Engineer: Yiran Chen
Digital Histories is an ongoing creative community of Asian American aunties and uncles turned documentary filmmakers. Supported by Visual Communications, these filmmakers hone their craft through theoretical and practical filmmaking workshops. In a year marked by social unrest, intense wildfires, and the quiet gravity of passing and transition, their practice became a sanctuary for collaboration and community. Together, their resilience brings to light stories that only they can tell.
A month before her college graduation, Hanako visits her Japanese grandmother in New York City for a weekend of connection and discovery.
Director Biography - Justine Kaneda
Justine Kaneda is an interdisciplinary filmmaker and performing artist. As a Japanese American, Justine strives to represent her culture and heritage through an authentic lens. Her work mainly engages with concepts of family dynamics, intergenerational experiences, and identity. Through her work, she seeks to highlight the diversity of the human experience.
She received her M.A. from New York University, where she concentrated in Film Production and Media Studies with a focus on cultural narratives. Previously, she graduated from Stanford University with an Interdisciplinary Honors in the Arts, earning a B.A. in Human Biology with a minor in Theater and Performance Studies.
Justine has screened at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), the Asia Society through New York Japan CineFest, and the Aichi International Women’s Film Festival, and won Best Asian American Pacific Islander Directed Short Film at the Phoenix Film Festival. She is also a Feature Film Programmer for the 49th Asian American International Film Festival.
- Year2025
- Runtime0:15:54
- LanguageEnglish, Japanese
- CountryUnited States
- GenreComing-of-Age, Drama
- Social Media
- DirectorJustine Kaneda, 1st Assistant Director: Louise Wu, Neeko Shi
- ScreenwriterJustine Kaneda
- ProducerJustine Kaneda, Yirong Yin
- CastAkiko Matsumoto, Cat Woods, Daigo Sai, Lily the Cat
- CinematographerDirector of Photography: Angela Kwak, 1st Assistant Camera: Ashley Kim, Spencer Sabath; Gaffer: Jeremy Lu; Grips: Spencer Sabath, Spencer Gronick, Chayne Cooper, Calvin Mumm; Sound Mixer & Boom Operator: Chayne Cooper, Jack Benjamin
- EditorJustine Kaneda
- Production DesignPreproduction/On-set Color Supervisor: Juliette Ho
- ComposerPanzhen Wu
- Sound DesignSound Designer & ADR Engineer: Yiran Chen