Profile



Kano is a former educator and current filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California (Tongva Land).

She uses the camera as a tool for social revelation, creating intimate narratives and essay films that explore coming-of-age, the complex dynamics of migrant families, and cultural mythology as something both inherited and continually reinvented. She is particularly interested in documenting at the intersection of class, immigration, and gender.

Kano is an MFA student in Documentary Directing and Production at UCLA.


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Education
University of California Los Angeles
MFA Documentary Directing & Production, 2028

Loyola Marymount University              
M.Ed. Transformative Education, Concentration in Literacy, 2024

Soka University of America                  
B.A. Liberal Arts, Concentration in Literature and Film, 2021
Employment
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)
June 2022 – June 2025
English and History Teacher

Asian CineVision
September 2020 – November 2021
Staff Writer

Soka University of America - Community Cinema 
September 2020 – May 2021
Associate Producer
Skills
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Premiere Pro
Avid Media Composer
Avid Pro Tools
Procreate
Procreate Dreams
G Suite 
Microsoft Office Suite
Awards
John H. and Patricia W. Mitchell Endowed Scholarship Recipient
Institution: University of California Los Angeles
Year: 2025-2026

Merit Scholar
Institution: Soka University of America
Year: 2017-2021
   

Kano Umezaki





documentary filmmaker
2026I Know Where To Take Us

Logline: Trapped in the cycle of Los Angeles gig work, an 11-year-old girl and her elderly Japanese father spend a day making Doordash deliveries together, when a moment of public embarrassment puts their relationship to the test.
 Director/Writer/Editor: Kano Umezaki
Producer: Abbie Oh Arroyo
1st Assistant Director: Lauren Owen

Director of Photography: Fredy Ramirez
1st Assistant Camera: Jacqueline Salas
2nd Assistant Camera: Brendan Coyle

Gaffer: Ashton Brigati
Key Grip: Valerie Romanello
G&E: Ma’Lon Lane
G&E: Braeden Bermudez
G&E: Lissy Ashieris

Sound: Rameses Gaines
Colorist: Junhao (Mike) Zhang
Score: Christopher Santiago








A quiet, observational drama set in the liminal space of Los Angeles (the car). Nao, a Japanese American girl, assists her elderly father, Yoshio, with his daily deliveries until an embarassing encounter puts their relationship to the test. Through a display of grace and a shared gas station meal, the film explores the shifting architecture of working class immigrant father-daughter relationships and the subtle ways we say "I’m sorry” and “Thank you.”

This story is inspired by my own father-daughter relationship growing up, as well as my mother’s gig work as a Doordash delivery driver during COVID-19. Navigating deliveries in your second tongue was anxiety-inducing for her, so she would often take one of the kids to help with translations and directions. 
2026Until 100 Years

Logline: A documentary short on the quiet life of my father’s recovery process post-stroke, as well as the weight of forgiving him amidst his last moments. (Work In Progress)

 Director: Kano Umezaki
Writer: Kano Umezaki
Director of Photography: Junhao (Mike) Zhang
Colorist: Junhao (Mike) Zhang
Sound Design: Kano Umezaki
Score: Christopher Santiago





My father had a stroke in February of 2024, one week before my birthday. Since then, his health has been in a state of constant flux, where he has been in and out of emergency rooms. Seeing my father reach the tail end of his life has made me feel rushed in my process of forgiving him. He is imperfect in many ways: a gambling addict, illiterate in both English and Japanese, boisterous to a fault, and has anger issues. But seeing my father’s anger or loud laughter has all become equally meaningful to me since his stroke, because they are signs that he is well and alive.

Until 100 Years is a documentary short about my father’s recovery process after his stroke, as well as his positive outlook on life. Despite his disabilities, my father is adamant about living until one hundred. He cannot cook, drive, or go out frequently, and is largely dependent on my family for survival. Even though he is restricted in his movement and speech, he has a deep fire in him to still live.
2025A Storm Ballooned In My Belly

Logline: When a candy transforms into a storm inside of a girl’s belly, she begins to feel and look at the world differently.
Director: Kano Umezaki
Writer: Kano Umezaki
Animator: Kano Umezaki
Sound Design & Score: Christopher Santiago




Growing up Buddhist, I was taught about the four inevitable sufferings: birth, aging, illness, and death. Within this religious framework, I grew up believing that all suffering could be overcome with the power of faith. But my faith didn’t explain the origins of poverty, hunger, or war. It was through this questioning that I began to politicize myself and reflect on my dogmatic ways of thinking. 
2025Finding My Friend at Sea

Logline: A girl sails across the sea to search for her long-lost friend.
Director: Kano Umezaki
Writer: Kano Umezaki
Animator: Kano Umezaki
Sound Design: Kano Umezaki






For my midterm in my experimental filmmaking course, we learned how to create 2.5d animation using the parallax effect. We were assigned to play with different layers, compositions, and lighting. I created an animated short about a girl finding her long-lost friend at sea. 




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