Directed by Kimi Takesue

Directed by Kimi Takesue

11 Episodes

The visually mesmerizing and deeply reflective films of Kimi Takesue traverse genres—including documentary, fiction, and experimental forms—to explore the charged spaces between observer and observed. Often centered on the act of travel, Takesue’s work follows tourists and locals as they navigate shared yet unequal terrain. In evocative shorts and acclaimed features like WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?, 95 AND 6 TO GO, and ONLOOKERS, she turns an unblinking lens on cross-cultural encounters, revealing the subtle tensions, curiosities, and power dynamics that shape how we see and are seen across differences. Through her immersive long takes, Takesue invites audiences into moments of intimacy and unease that continually challenge our assumptions.

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Directed by Kimi Takesue

11 Episodes

  • Where Are You Taking Me?
    1:11:54
    Where Are You Taking Me?
    Episode 1

    Where Are You Taking Me?

    Episode 1

    Directed by Kimi Takesue • 2010 • Uganda

    A high-society wedding, a movie set, a beauty salon, a women’s weight-lifting competition: these are a few of the many places in Uganda visited in Kimi Takesue’s feature documentary WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME? Employing an observational style, Takesue travel...

  • 95 and 6 to Go
    1:25:02
    95 and 6 to Go
    Episode 2

    95 and 6 to Go

    Episode 2

    Directed by Kimi Takesue • 2016 • United States

    Filmmaker Kimi Takesue finds an unlikely collaborator while visiting her grandfather Tom in Hawai’i. A recent widower in his nineties, Tom seems content to go about his daily routines until he shows surprising interest in his granddaughter’s stalle...

  • Onlookers
    1:12:14
    Onlookers
    Episode 3

    Onlookers

    Episode 3

    Directed by Kimi Takesue • 2023 • Laos, United States

    ONLOOKERS offers a visually striking, immersive meditation on travel and tourism in Laos, reflecting on how we all live as observers. Traversing the country’s dusty roads and tranquil rivers, we watch as elaborate painterly tableaus unfold, r...

  • Bound
    15:31
    Bound
    Episode 4

    Bound

    Episode 4

    Directed by Kimi Takesue • 1995 • United Kingdom

    A young Chinese British woman undertakes a symbolic journey of self-discovery. Incorporating elements of poetry and dance within a dramatic narrative, BOUND explores a woman’s attempt to reconcile the past with the present as she confronts the co...

  • Rosewater
    13:22
    Rosewater
    Episode 5

    Rosewater

    Episode 5

    Directed by Kimi Takesue • 1999 • United States

    A solitary man struggles to cultivate beauty in a desolate urban world. Lonely and dislocated, he drifts in and out of a dream state envisioning the promise of regeneration. ROSEWATER tells a story of hope sustained through perseverance, ritual and...

  • Heaven’s Crossroad
    35:09
    Heaven’s Crossroad
    Episode 6

    Heaven’s Crossroad

    Episode 6

    Directed by Kimi Takesue • 2002 • United States

    HEAVEN’S CROSSROAD traces an impressionistic journey through Vietnam exploring the nuances and complexities of “looking” cross-culturally. Structured in a series of observational yet stylized vignettes, this experimental documentary investigates sh...

  • Summer of the Serpent
    27:09
    Summer of the Serpent
    Episode 7

    Summer of the Serpent

    Episode 7

    Directed by Kimi Takesue • 2004 • United States
    Starring Joyce Perrone, Keiichi Kondoh, Sarah Zhang

    Eight-year-old Juliette sits at the side of the local pool waiting for another lonely summer day to pass when a Japanese couple unexpectedly arrives. Fascinated by the mysterious black-clad woman ...

  • E=NYC2
    05:08
    E=NYC2
    Episode 8

    E=NYC2

    Episode 8

    Directed by Kimi Takesue • 2005 • United States

    E=NYC2 captures the dynamic energy and movement of New York City. Structured in a series of observational vignettes, this piece features New Yorkers moving through self-contained yet interconnected worlds as they pursue their lives and dreams.

  • Suspended
    08:29
    Suspended
    Episode 9

    Suspended

    Episode 9

    Directed by Kimi Takesue • 2009 • United States

    SUSPENDED playfully captures a diverse cross section of people in states of emotional and physical suspension: moments of heightened anticipation, focused intensity, and blissful surrender.

  • That Which Once Was
    20:13
    That Which Once Was
    Episode 10

    That Which Once Was

    Episode 10

    Directed by Kimi Takesue • 2011 • United States
    Starring Vincente Otero, Natar Ungalaaq, Sydney Francis

    In 2032, an eight-year-old boy displaced by climate change fends for himself as an environmental refugee in a hostile northern metropolis. Haunted by memories of flooding that left him homeles...

  • Looking for Adventure
    43:31
    Looking for Adventure
    Episode 11

    Looking for Adventure

    Episode 11

    Directed by Kimi Takesue • 2013 • United States, Peru

    Structured in static, formal tableaus, this observational documentary about the pleasures, strains, and choreography of group tourism in Peru explores the tension between the commodification of Andean culture for foreign consumption and the u...

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