Christopher Makoto Yogi is an American filmmaker from HawaiâÂÂi, best known for his feature films August at Akiko's (2018) and I Was a Simple Man (2021), which premiered at major international film festivals and received critical recognition.
YogiâÂÂs debut feature film, August at AkikoâÂÂs, premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2018 and received positive reviews. The film stars Alex Zhang Hungtai and was released theatrically by Factory25. It was listed among âÂÂThe Best Films of 2019â by Richard Brody in The New Yorker
His subsequent feature, I Was a Simple Man, starring Constance Wu, premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The project participated in the Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Labs and was released theatrically by Strand Releasing. It won the Grand Jury Prize at the San Diego Asian Film Festival, the Made in HawaiâÂÂi Award at the HawaiâÂÂi International Film Festival, and was listed as the fourth-best film of 2021 by The New Yorker
YogiâÂÂs experimental work has screened at Museum of Modern Art and Flaherty NYC. His short films include Occasionally, I Saw Glimpses of HawaiâÂÂi and Obake (Ghosts).