Derek Shimoda

June Bride: Redemption of a Yakuza

Derek Shimoda

Tatsuya Shindo

It took a missing finger to find God. JUNE BRIDE: REDEMPTION OF A YAKUZA is a feature-length documentary about Tatsuya Shindo, a former mobster turned preacher, who seeks forgiveness for a life's worth of disappointment and crime in his makeshift church - June Bride - at one time a smoke-filled bar. Hanging on Shindo's every word is his loyal congregation, an eclectic mix of tattooed ex-convicts and wayward souls who want to start over. Through his journey from the criminal underworld to a mission from God, Shindo declares, "Loyalty to my yakuza boss is the same as the one to God." But will his faith cost him more than just his finger?

The Killing of a Chinese Cookie

Derek Shimoda

For nearly a century, people have turned to a prophetic dessert for advice, inspiration, and even winning lottery combinations. While the fortune cookie has been a source of fascination and Chinese cuisine staple in North America, it remains nearly non-existent in China. This documentary examines the heated debate over the true origin of the fortune cookie, the mixing of eastern and western cultures that produced it, and the cookie's rise from a simple pastry to a pop culture phenomenon.