Professor Kawai won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short at the 37th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival! The film ZONA, directed by Professor Kawai, is now Academy Award® qualified!

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival is the largest film festival in Southern California dedicated to showcasing films by and about Asians & Pacific Islanders around the world. The Festival presents approximately 150 films and mediaworks that celebrates Asian Pacific filmmakers and stories, attracting entertainment celebrities, civic and community leaders, industry professionals, and film enthusiasts in a celebration of the ongoing accomplishments by Asian Pacific cinematic artists.

It has been a busy festival run for Professor Kawai. ZONA has played at festivals nationwide, including Maryland Film Festival, Palm Springs ShortFest, Nashville Film Festival, Tacoma Film Festival, and the Hawaii International Film Festival.

ZONA | 2021 | 16 mins | Written and Directed by Masami Kawai

In the near-future Los Angeles, a drought has worsened and the water supply has stopped running. An old immigrant Japanese woman braves the city to search for water for her neighbor in need.