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 (as Edwin Li)
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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Diana Elizabeth Torres and Yutaka Takeuchi learned how to make sushi at the Sushi Chef Institute to make an accurate portrayal of their characters

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Quotes

Aki: If I walked into a taqueria and I saw a bunch of *asians* cooking the food,
[Juana laughs]
Aki: I'd probably think twice.
Juana: Sure. Maybe. But, if that same taqueria had all latino workers and just one asian... one asian, would that be okay?

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Soundtracks

East Side Sushi Score
Composed and produced by Alex Mandel
Performed by Alex Mandel
Strings conducted by Minna Choi & performed by The Magik*Magik Orchestra
Percussion by David Brandt
Published by Vineland Records / Modern Works Publishing (ASCAP)
Record and mixed at 25th Street Recording - Oakland, CA

User Reviews

Very Thought Provoking and Timely

I really enjoyed this movie and found it very thought provoking. It's not every day that a movie comes out that addresses race, gender inequality, and low-income families. The movie starts a little slow but is totally worth the watch and I would recommend watching this with your daughter and discussing equal pay, gender discrimination, and diversity once it's over. I was a little suspicious that the movie may be too cheesy but it turned out to be a very nice flick. The characters felt very authentic and since I live in Maine it exposed me to some ways of life that I am not familiar with. I also think this would be a great classroom movie that could inspire a lot of great conversations and a discussions.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

18 September 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

East Side Sushi

Filming Locations:

Oakland, California, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$50,869

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blue Sun Pictures, Sparklight Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min (original)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1