RACHEL KONDO
Rachel Kondo was born and raised on Maui. Her writing has appeared in Electric Literature, Ploughshares Solos and Indiana Review. In 2019, her story “Girl of Few Seasons” was included in The O. Henry Prize Stories and selected as a juror favorite by Elizabeth Strout. Along with Justin Marks, she co-created the FX television production of Shōgun adapted from the novel by James Clavell. She is a graduate of the Michener Center for Writers and now lives on Maui.
HIROYUKI SANADA
Hiroyuki Sanada is an international star, award-winning actor, and is one of Japan’s most distinguished and celebrated actors of his generation.
He has starred in over fifty films and earned (the equivalent of ) a Japanese Academy Award for his role in The Twilight Samurai. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film. For television, Sanada currently stars in and is producing the remake of the epic “Shogun” mini-series for FX where he plays the role of Lord Toranaga. The mini-series is based on the best-selling novel by James Clavell.
With the huge success of “Shogun”, Sanada’s star continues to rise. He was last seen in the popular action franchise, John Wick: Chapter 4, opposite Keanu Reeves and Donnie Yen. Directed by Chad Stahelski, the film sees the legendary hitman take his fight against the High Table global, from New York to Paris to Japan to Berlin. Before that, Sanada appeared in the Sony Pictures’ action feature, Bullet Train, opposite Brad Pitt, and Sandra Bullock. The film is directed by David Leitch and follows five assassins who find themselves on a fast-moving bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka. Other recent releases include Zack Snyder’s highly anticipated Army of the Dead for Netflix, a film that centers around a group of mercenaries as they plot a heist on a Las Vegas casino during a zombie outbreak where Sanada plays the casino boss, “Bly Tanaka.” He also appeared in the James Wan-produced fantasy-action film, Mortal Kombat for Warner Bros., with Hiro playing the part of ‘Scorpion’, the most iconic role in the franchise. Both films were incredibly successful and have since announced sequels, the latter of which Sanada will again star in. Sanada also appeared in MGM’s Minamata, opposite Bill Nighy and Johnny Depp, and directed by Andrew Levitas. The film follows the historic photographer, Eugene Smith, who documented the effects of mercury poisoning on the citizens of Minamata, Kumamoto, Japan. Sanada’s first major Hollywood appearance was in The Last Samurai opposite Tom Cruise, later appearing in such blockbuster films as The Wolverine, 47 Ronin and Avengers Endgame. Sanada’s career is just as impressive on the small screen, having appeared in dozens of shows including the critically acclaimed series, Lost, for their 6th and final season, and Westworld season 2. He is also an established stage actor, working in both Japanese and British plays and theatre. His role as ‘The Fool’ in Shakespeare’s King Lear gave him notable theatrical praise and awarded him an honorary MBE for being the first Japanese actor to perform with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RBC). Sanada’s career in film, television and theater has spanned more than 50 years and he has garnered the attention of both American and foreign audiences alike. His unique ability to embody the roles he takes on has made him one of Hollywood’s most respected and sought-after Asian-American actors working today.
ANNA SAWAI
Anna Sawai is a New Zealand-born Japanese actress, singer, and dancer. She landed her first acting role at age 11 as the title character in the 2004 Nippon TV production of Annie shortly after moving to Japan. Sawai later made her film debut as Kiriko in James McTeigue’s 2009 neo-noir martial arts film Ninja Assassin.
Sawai rose to fame in Japan as one of the lead vocalists of the girl group Faky from 2013 to 2018. She made a return to acting with supporting roles in the Japanese mystery series Colors (2018) and the British crime thriller series Giri/Haji (2019). Her international breakthrough came with the roles of Elle in F9 (2021), the ninth film in the Fast & Furious franchise, and Naomi in the Apple TV+ drama series Pachinko (2022–present). She gained further recognition for playing Cate Randa in the monster series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023–2024) and received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Mariko in the FX miniseries Shōgun (2024).