Originally from Osaka, Japan, HIKARI is an award-winning writer, director and producer. Her directorial debut short film Tsuyako (Drama, 2011, USC Thesis Film) visited over 100 film festivals worldwide receiving over 50 awards including Director’ s Guild of America Student Award for the Best Female Filmmaker. In 2013, she wrote and directed a live action & animated short film A Better Tomorrow (Fantasy Adventure, 2013) for the First Annual Lexus Short Films which was produced by The Weinstein Company.

Her other directing credit include a dance short film Where We Begin (Drama, 2015, Tribeca Film Festival), Can & Sulochan (Comedy, 2014, UULA) and Subaru’ s Dramatic Cinema Series - commercials and short films that features Subaru’ s vintage to latest models. With the script of 37 Seconds, she had participated in Sundance Institute/NHK Screenwriting workshop, Film Independent’ s Screen- writing and Directing Lab in 2017. The film was completed in January 2019 and celebrating its world premiere at 2019 Berlin International Film Festival in their Panorama section. The film is also nominated for GWFF Best First Feature Film Award.