August at Akiko's
Christopher Makoto Yogi • 2016 • USA
A jazz musician searches for his roots in Hawaii.
After nearly a decade, Alex, a musician, arrives on the Big Island of Hawai'i with no more than a suitcase and his saxophone in tow. Staying at a Buddhist bed and breakfast, Alex forms a friendship with Akiko, the establishment's ebullient, elderly proprietor, that leads him to unexpected places.
Imbued with converging rhythms of free jazz, meditation bells, and enveloping sounds of nature, August at Akiko's reflects on the meaning of family, memory, heritage, and home. Christopher Makoto Yogi's debut film premiered at Rotterdam and Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, where it won Best Cinematography. August at Akiko's was named among Richard Brody's Best Movies of 2019.