ENGLISH/日本語

Ken Ochiai

"A Visually Imaginative and Bold Director."
-Frank Pierson, Oscar®-Winning Writer, "Dog Day Afternoon"
A Former President of the Writers Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences


"Ken is extremely inventive with visual storytelling and portraying internal states of mind."
-Jim McBride, Director of "The Big Easy"



Ken Ochiai made his first film at age 12. Immediately following his high school graduation, he left his hometown of Tokyo, Japan, to pursue his dream of becoming a film director in the United States. Ochiai graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2006 with a BA in production. In 2008, he received his MFA from the American Film Institute Conservatory in directing.

To date, Ochiai has made more than 30 short films, commercials, and music videos including Phoenix, which won the Special Jury Award at the San Giovanni International Film Festival; Express 831 which won the Bronze Award at the First Look Film Festival in 2008; and Half Kenneth which won the Jury Prize from the Directors Guild of America as well as the Governor of Tokyo Award and the Best Short Film at the Short Shorts Film Festival.

Recently he received Young Alumni Award from the USC Asian Pacific Alumni Association in recognition of his achievements in filmmaking.

Ochiai is now working as a professional writer/director and has a number of projects in development in Japan and the U.S. These projects include his first feature film with Toshiaki Nakazawa, producer from an Oscar®-winning film "Departures."


New York University, New York, NY
Tisch School Of the Arts, Film-Television Producion Intensive Summer School

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Bachelor of Arts, School of Cinematic Arts, Production

American Film Institute Conservatory, Los Angeles, CA
Master of Fine Arts, Directing