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 has received the John H. and Patricia W. Mitchell Endowed Scholarship, Mary Pickford Award, and Motion Picture Award. She is currently 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
London Alley  / Vice Media
August 2026 – Present
Production & Producing Intern
University of California Los Angeles
March 2026 – Present
Teaching Assistant
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
Mary Pickford Award
Institution: University of California Los Angeles
Year: 2026-2027

Motion Picture Award
Institution: University of California Los Angeles
Year: 2026-2027

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. 
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