“I photograph what I’m afraid of, what I can’t deal with, or understand without the camera.”
-Richard Avedon
Born and bred in downtown Chicago, Kenji is the son of a psychoanalyst father and fashion designer turned Mom. From an early age he developed a fascination over the human condition and used art as his tool for exploration. It wasn’t until he was in college where he discovered the film MULHOLLAND DRIVE by director David Lynch and the CREMASTER CYCLE by artist Matthew Barney that he decided to pursue a career in filmmaking. After gaining experience working in G&E and eventually becoming a steadicam operator, he moved to Los Angeles where he earned his Masters Degree from The AFI Conservatory and has since served as cinematographer on feature films, TV, commercials, music videos, and documentaries.
In 2013, Kenji shot the short film WEIGHTING, which was co-directed by Dustin Bowser and Brie Larson (CAPTAIN MARVEL, ROOM), who also starred alongside Satya Bhabha (SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD). The film was produced by Bullett Magazine and won Best Cinematography at The Soul 4 Reel Film Festival in 2014 and was Official Selection at SXSW 2013.
He also collaborated with co-directors/stars Dawn Luebbe and Jocelyn Deboer of Gulp Splash Productions on the short film THE ARRIVAL, which won awards in the US and abroad, including the Audience Award at The Chicago Critics Film Festival in 2017, Best Narrative Short Film: Wüzburg International film Festival 2018, and Best International Short Film at the Roma International Short Film Festival. Kenji also collaborated with Gulp Splash on the short film BUZZ, directed by Mitch Magee, which won the Audience Award at BRNO16 Film Festival.
The last short film he shot, SUNDAY DINNER, was directed by Kevin Mead and stars Don Fanelli (also screenwriter), Jon Gabrus, Mary Holland, Michael Antonucci, and Andrew Law. It won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Short at The Ashland Independent Film Festival in 2020.
His most recent feature film, WELLWOOD is an extraterrestrial thriller set in the backwoods of Louisiana, directed by Eliza Hooper and stars Keisha Castle-Hughes (WHALE RIDER), Lance E. Nichols (THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON), Camille Balsamo, and Reid Collums (also screenwriter) and was produced by Studio ADI (currently in post-production). Unlike many films made these days which rely heavily on computer generated visual effects, ADI employed a mix of old school and new school techniques to make the creature in the film come alive.
Kenji is currently working as Director of Photography on the Roku TV original, ROKU RECOMMENDS, a 15-minute weekly entertainment program that features the Top 5 trending or topical titles (either on The Roku Channel or on any of thousands of partner channels), with hosts Maria Menounos (EXTRA) and former NFL wide receiver Andrew Hawkins.