The Dreamers and I
Kenji Yamamoto’s journey to complete his first feature film as director began a decade ago, not long before he competed as a Finalist during DocLands’ first ever DocPitch forum in 2017. Through the subsequent years, his film took a few turns as he honed the focal point of the story, Carlos’ unique dream of a Startup Embassy that offers an affordable and welcoming community to global entrepreneurs who make the pilgrimage to pricey Silicon Valley. Inspired by his characters Carlos (Madrid), Habibe (Istanbul), and Lucas (Seville), and their lofty high-tech dreams, Kenji turns the camera on his own story and becomes one of them, a dreamer with struggles of his own. Each endures vicissitudes while seeking success, but it’s inspiration that shines through—personally and professionally—within their chosen ‘entrepreneurial lives’.
Director/s
Kenji Yamamoto
Kenji Yamamoto
Although The Dreamers and I marks his directorial debut, KENJI YAMAMOTO is a longtime, independent producer/editor of documentaries and narratives. He has been partnered in life and in work with director Nancy Kelly, first collaborating on Thousand Pieces of Gold (1990). He participated in the Sundance Screenwriting Lab with that film and in the Sundance Institute Documentary Editing Lab with Jennifer Maytorena Taylor’s New Muslim Cool (2009). He produced and edited Kelly’s documentaries Downside Up (2002), Smitten (2005), Trust (2010), and Rebels with a Cause (2013).
Expected Guests
KENJI YAMAMOTO: Director
NANCY KELLY: Producer
NANCY BLACHMAN: Executive Producer