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Koji Steven Sakai

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Sakai in 2010

Koji Steven Sakai is an American screenwriter and producer. He has written the screenplay for The People I've Slept With (2009),[1] a romantic comedy film directed by Quentin Lee and starring Karin Anna Cheung and Archie Kao as well as Wilson Cruz, Lynn Chen, Randall Park, James Shigeta and more. He also served as a producer for that film. In addition, Sakai, along with Naoko Ihara Witmer, has co-written the screenplay for a horror film entitled The Haunted Highway (2006)[2] which was directed by Junichi Suzuki; it was distributed by Lions Gate DVD in 2005. In 2013, he wrote and produced the "first Asian American serial killer film" entitled Chink, starring Jason Tobin, Eugenia Yuan, Tzi Ma and more, which was directed by Stanley Yung and produced by Quentin Lee.[3] For Chink, lead actor Jason Tobin won a Special Jury Prize for Best Actor or "Breakout Performance" at the 2013 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.[4]

In June 2012, Sakai's screenplay Romeo, Juliet & Rosaline was selected by Amazon Studios for its Movie Development Slate. The comedy script is co-written with Emily Brauer Rogers and focuses on Rosaline, Romeo’s original crush.[5] Monster & Me was released in November 2012.[6]

Sakai wrote and produced the feature film The Commando,[7] starring Michael Jai White and Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke and directed by Asif Akbar. The Commando was released by Paramount Pictures in January 2022.

Sakai's feature film Skeletons in the Closet recently completed production in Las Vegas. It was directed by Lance Kawas and Asif Akbar and stars Oscar nominee Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow, Empire), Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr (Jerry Maguire), Clifton Powell (Ray), and Valery M. Ortiz (2 Minutes of Fame). Sakai was credited as a writer and producer on this project.[8]

In addition, shooting for Sakai's latest indie thriller film Boneyard commenced in early 2023 in Las Vegas.[9] The project stars Mel Gibson and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and is directed by Asif Akbar; Sakai is credited as a co-writer.[10]

In February 2015, Sakai's debut novel Romeo & Juliet Vs. Zombies was released by Luthando Coeur, the fantasy imprint of Zharmae Publishing Press.[11]

Sakai has also graduated from the University of Southern California's Masters of Professional Writing program[12] and has also held several filmmaking fellowships, including Visual Communications "Armed With A Camera" Fellowship for Emerging Media Artists[13][14] and Film Independent's Project Involve.[15] He currently lives in Los Angeles and is also affiliated with the Japanese American National Museum.[16] He is also a contributor to 8-Asians.com and Discover Nikkei.[17][18]

He wrote the screenplay the 2024 film Damaged, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Vincent Cassel.

References

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  1. ^ The People I’ve Slept With. at IMDb
  2. ^ Suzuki, Junichi (2006-12-02), Death Ride (Horror, Thriller), Rand Gamble, Hinano Yoshikawa, Laura Putney, Death Ride Productions LLC, Eleven Arts, retrieved 2023-07-06
  3. ^ Yung, Stanley (2013-05-04), #1 Serial Killer (Horror), Jason Tobin, Eugenia Yuan, Tzi Ma, retrieved 2023-07-06
  4. ^ CineVision, Asian (2013-06-04). "CHINK – Asian CineVision". Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  5. ^ "Amazon Studios Adds Two New Projects to Its Movie Development Slate | Hollywonk". Archived from the original on 2013-03-02. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
  6. ^ Solema, Jeff (2013-10-26), Monster & Me (Family), Athena Baumeister, Alyssa Kennedy, Lucas Barker, Magic Elevator, retrieved 2023-07-06
  7. ^ "Exclusive: The Commando Trailer, Key Art & Photos Featuring Michael Jai White". ComingSoon.net. 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  8. ^ "Terrence Howard & Cuba Gooding Jr. To Lead New Horror-Thriller Film". ScreenRant. 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  9. ^ Kit, Borys (2023-04-17). "Mel Gibson, 50 Cent Starring in Indie Crime Thriller 'Boneyard' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  10. ^ Boneyard - IMDb, retrieved 2023-07-06
  11. ^ "Romeo and Juliet vs Zombies Becomes one of Zharmae's New Hit Novels | MassMediaSEO News". Archived from the original on 2015-04-04. Retrieved 2015-04-02.
  12. ^ “Koji Steven Sakai - Producer - Little Nalu Pictures LLC | LinkedIn.” LinkedIni. Accessed 6 July 2023.
  13. ^ Staff, VC. “Meet an AWC Alum: Koji Steven Sakai.” Visual Communications, 17 Jan. 2019.
  14. ^ "AWC Alumni & Projects". Visual Communications. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  15. ^ "Koji-Steven Sakai". Film Independent. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  16. ^ "Koji Steven Sakai - FIRST & CENTRAL: The JANM Blog". 2016-01-28. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  17. ^ "Contributor Bio - About Koji Steven Sakai". 8Asians.com.
  18. ^ "Koji Steven Sakai - Discover Nikkei". discovernikkei.org. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
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