Daryn Wakasa
- Visual Effects
- Director
- Producer
Daryn Wakasa (he/him) is a 4th generation Japanese American, East Los Angeles born multidisciplinary filmmaker with 17+ years of experience in the film, commercial, and advertising industries. As a Creative Director at companies like Elastic (founded by Angus Wall) and Mirada (co-founded by Guillermo del Toro), Daryn has directed projects involving animation, visual effects, interactive storytelling, projection mapping and more. His award winning short films Seppuku (2017), Giri (2014), and A Lost Generation (2010) played in film festivals, cultural programs and theaters across the country.
Daryn was nominated by CAPE and selected by CBS to participate in the CBS Leadership Pipeline Challenge where he directed and co-produced the short film, "In Tune". He was also selected as a screenwriter to participate in UCP and Soo Hugh's "The Thousand Miles Project".
As a descendant of Japanese American incarceration camp survivors, he uses mythology and supernatural horror to conjure themes that affect his community and family - internalized racism, intergenerational trauma, and familial healing. Daryn enjoys dwelling in the liminal space - between gaman (keep your troubles to yourself) and Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing"; between grits and onigiris; between the spirit world and physical one. Between Japanese and American.
Daryn is represented by Benjamin Blake and Chris Coggins of Heroes and Villains Entertainment.
Daryn was nominated by CAPE and selected by CBS to participate in the CBS Leadership Pipeline Challenge where he directed and co-produced the short film, "In Tune". He was also selected as a screenwriter to participate in UCP and Soo Hugh's "The Thousand Miles Project".
As a descendant of Japanese American incarceration camp survivors, he uses mythology and supernatural horror to conjure themes that affect his community and family - internalized racism, intergenerational trauma, and familial healing. Daryn enjoys dwelling in the liminal space - between gaman (keep your troubles to yourself) and Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing"; between grits and onigiris; between the spirit world and physical one. Between Japanese and American.
Daryn is represented by Benjamin Blake and Chris Coggins of Heroes and Villains Entertainment.
