Madame Hattori’s Izakaya is a psychological thriller short film that was filmed locally in Phoenix, Arizona. The project took two years to go from idea to completion and was filmed in May 2021. Although the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on all creative and entrepreneurial industries, it also gave us the rare gift of time. We had an incredibly unique opportunity to bring the restaurant, creative, small business, and Asian communities in Arizona together to create a film that offered an intriguing new level of exposure for each individual and organization involved. Over 35 people contributed to the project. The final product is a testimony to all that can be achieved when people come together.

Madame Hattori’s Izakaya features:

• An all-Asian female cast
• Special dishes created by local Asian chefs in the Valley
  • Chef Nobuo Fukuda: James Beard award winner & former owner of Nobuo at Teeter House
  • Chef Paulo Im: chef at Chula Seafood & former executive chef of Obon Sushi
  • Chef Justin Park: chef & owner of Drunken Tiger
  • Chef Kevin Rosales: executive chef at Disco Dragon & FYPM
  • Chef Tyka Chheng: former chef of Khla & Baby Boy
• Collaborations with Arizona Asian-owned small businesses (filmed at Nanaya Japanese Kitchen, nails done by Jimmy Nguyen of Slain Studios)
• Sponsored by Sapporo and Crescent Crown Distributing