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:

Where East Oakland meets the Far East

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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

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$50,869

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blue Sun Pictures, Sparklight Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min (original)

Color:

Color (Fujicolor) Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was shot in real working restaurants on the days they were closed. On the days the restaurants were open, the crew would work from 5am until 11am, just before the Coach Sushi opened up for it's lunch patrons. Was also filmed in B Dama Restaurant and Mijori in Oakland, CA.

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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

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

Best movie I've seen all year!

Love the uniqueness of the story... I mean how many non-male, non-Japanese sushi chefs do you see? I loved that the lead is a very strong female (Hispanic!) character (all too rare these days).

Wonderful acting, writing, editing, directing.

Beautiful sushi and watching it being made was fascinating.

This film brought tears to my eyes many times and I left the theater wanting a sushi dinner! Definitely the best movie I've seen all year... actually I've seen it twice and can't wait to see it again! Brought friends the second time I saw it who all felt the same :)

I can't wait to see this movie again.