East Side Sushi (2014)

Single mom Juana can slice and dice anything with great speed and precision. After working at a fruit-vending cart for years, she decides to take a job at a local Japanese restaurant. ... See full summary »

Director:

Anthony Lucero

Writer:

Anthony Lucero

Stars:

Diana Elizabeth Torres, Yutaka Takeuchi, Rodrigo Duarte Clark

11 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Diana Elizabeth Torres	...	Juana
Yutaka Takeuchi	...	Aki
Rodrigo Duarte Clark	...	Apa
Kaya Jade Aguirre	...	Lydia
Roji Oyama	...	Mr. Yoshida
Miyoko Sakatani	...	Mrs. Yoshida
Lane Nishikawa	...	Jimmy Nishida
Melissa Locsin	...	TV Show Coordinator
James J. Der Jr.	...	Kyung
Bartholomew Wang	...	Robert
Edwin Li	...	Billy
Jesus Fuentes	...	Victor
Kathleen Park	...	Waitress #1
Sara Matsui-Colby	...	Waitress #2
Tomoharu Nakamura	...	Hitoshi Watanabe

Storyline

Single mom Juana can slice and dice anything with great speed and precision. After working at a fruit-vending cart for years, she decides to take a job at a local Japanese restaurant. Intrigued by the food, she learns to make a multitude of sushi on her own. Eventually she attempts to become a sushi chef, but is unable to because she is the 'wrong' race and gender. Against all odds, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery, determined to not let anyone stop her from achieving her dream.

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Plot Keywords:

single mother | sushi | japanese restaurant | sushi chef | mother daughter relationship | 

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Taglines:

Not your typical Mexican cuisine.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief violence, suggestive content and mild language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

18 September 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

A sushi árnyékos oldalán

Filming Locations:

Oakland, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$3,500,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blue Sun Pictures, Sparklight Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min (original)

Color:

Color (Fujicolor) Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

'East Side Sushi' was shown as one of a group of low budget, socially significant films in 2016 with funds provided by the New York State Council of the Arts.

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Quotes

Aki: [showing the octopus] Tako.
Juana: Ah... like a taco?
[gesturing for the mexican cuisine]
Aki: Yeah, I guess so.

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Soundtracks

Love Again (Amar de Nuevo)
Written and produced by Alex Mandel
Performed by CAVA & Alex Mandel

User Reviews

East Side Sushi - Award Winner

East Side Sushi is a very heartfelt film that brings to film the struggles we face in our lives and the accomplishments we can achieve by believing in ourselves. A very creative film production with the simplicity of bringing everyday life to view. The actors were flawless with such great performance from every one of them. You will be cheering for Juana as she stands up for herself. Her dreams of success is not only self-righteous but to bring together unity between cultures. You will be so engaged and will leave wanting more. If you love sushi your mouth will be watering and if not, you will appreciate it's beauty. I loved every moment and hope to see more films from this very creative Writer/Director. Do not miss this award winning film!