Writing & Directing

"I want to create visually engaging, positive work that crosses borders, embrace our diversity and provide relief and laughter around the world." - Atsushi

Director's Reel (4 min) (Writer-Director-Editor)

Graduating with a M.S. in Visual Studies from the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at MIT, Atsushi worked as a video artist and was invited as fellow at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, Germany. He was also commissioned for the Echigo-Tsumai Art Triennial in Japan through the Art Front Gallery. His art videos and collaborative installations (with C.M. Judge and with Anna Davis) have been screened and awarded at festivals and museums world-wide, including the Reina Sofia Museum Madrid, Museum of Modern Art New York and the Venice Bienniale Xenografia.

Atsushi received screenwriting grants from ZDF Germany pubic TV, Nordrhein-Westfalen Film Fund and the Netherlands Film Fund for his screenplays. He participated in North by Northwest, Media II Northern European Screenwriting Program and the Maurits Binger Film Institute, both taught by USC Screenwriting professors.

Trained in directing at NYU, Maine Media Workshop and at the Maurits Binger Film Institute in Amsterdam with Judith Weston and collaborating with graduates of the Netherlands Film Academy, Atsushi has been directing narrative films since 2005.

Eternally Yours, Atsushi’s short film - a battle of wits between an elderly lady and a conman - was selected for the prestigious New Directors/New Films Festival 2007 in New York at the MoMA & the Lincoln Center and won awards at festivals in Bangkok, Boston and LA.

Cast Me If You Can, Atsushi’s feature film debut is a rom-com about perpetual supporting actor who meets his muse. It premiered at the 13^th Shanghai International Film Festival Asian New Talent Competition. It has been released theatrically nation-wide in 16 cities in Japan and San Francisco, released also on Amazon and i-Tunes in North America in 2012 and screened on Russian, Chinese and Australian airlines, broadcast on 4 channels on Japanese television and published as a novel.

Trick or Treat: I LOVE America!, a cross-cultural satire about gun violence in America, is a collaboration with Japanese Youtuber MEGWIN TV. Atsushi wrote and directed this series for Halloween in 2014. It had more than 77,000 viewers on its launching weeks and was selected for the official YouTube Japan channel. It was awarded Best Creative Idea and Best Cinematography at the Rome Web Awards in 2015.

Yukata Cowboy ® , Atsushi's one-man online comedy series about living in different countries, was filmed entirely with his iPhone. It was awarded in Sicily, Miami, Bilbao, Dublin, Rome, Montreal, Seoul and Washington D.C., ranking #12 in Web Series World Cup 2015. It was theatrically released in Japan and also turned into a bilingual book in Japanese and English.

Mona Lisa Cowboy, the first spin-off series of Yukata Cowboy ®. It is a rom-com filmed in Paris, co-starring Xin Wang, Chinese-French actress from the hit series "Ex-Model." It premiered at Webfest Berlin in September 2017. It has also screened at UK Web Fest (London), Bilbao Seriesland (Spain), Rio Web Fest (Brazil) and Dub Web Fest (Ireland). The Japanese Embassy in Dublin has also endorsed it for their Ireland-Japan 60th Year Celebration in conjunction with the Dub Web Fest. Atsushi was awarded Best Actor (Star AMETS) at Bilbao Seriesland 2017, and "Mona Lisa Cowboy" was awarded Special Jury Prize at DC Web Fest 2018.

Lost & Found Cowboy the second spin-off series of Yukata Cowboy ® is a rom-com, filmed in Tokyo, co-starring Kellie Holway, American actress and dancer. It was awarded Best Comedy TV Episode Award at Portland Comedy Film Festival, Best Pilot Award at Asia Web Awards 2019 and Best Editing Award at Apulia Web Fest (Italy). Lead actress/choreographer Kellie Holway was awarded Best Rising Star in at Seoul Web Fest 2019. Season 1 streams world-wide via Twisted Mirror TV ranked #3 in viewership for Sept. 2020.

Lost & Found Cowboy Season 2 was filmed remotely in Tokyo, Madrid and London during the Covid lockdown. It tells the story of three friends reaching out and supporting each other in the midst of a global pandemic through virtual stand-up and flamenco. The series was awarded Best Concept and Best Costume at the British Web Awards 2022 (UK) and won 2nd place in the web series category at the 14th Jaipur International Film Festival 2022 (India). Lead actress Xana del Mar was Best Actress in Comedy by the Asia Web Awards 2021 (Korea), and the other lead actress Laerke Charlottte Olsvig was awarded Best Rising Star at the Seoul Web Fest 2021 (Korea). LOST & FOUND COWBOY Season 2 was also awarded Unstoppable Indie Series Award at Bilbao Seriesland 2021 (Spain), International Alumni Award at Minnesota Web Fest 2021 (USA) and Honorable Mention at DC Web Fest 2021 (USA). It ranked #12 in Web Series World Cup 2021.

Atsushi has also taught screenwriting and acting/directing workshops at YouTube Space Tokyo and has been invited as a guest speaker at various colleges and festivals. In 2020, Atsushi was awarded Michael Ajakwe Jr. Pioneer Award at the Marseille Web Fest in France and alumni awards in New Zealand and in Minnesota (USA) in 2021 for his contribution to the field of web series.

Filmography (comedies)

Lost & Found Cowboy (Seasons 1 & 2) 2019~2021

(digital series / 35~40 min x 2 Seasons/4 episodes each/)

Mona Lisa Cowboy 2017 (digital series/ 3 min x 7 episodes)

Yukata Cowboy (Seasons 1~4) 2015 (sketch series 2 min x 30 episodes)

Trick or Treat: I LOVE America! 2014 (Youtube series 4 min x 2 episodes)

Cast Me If You Can (aka Wakiyaku Monogatari) 2010 (feature film /97 min)

Eternally Yours (aka Furochoju) 2006 (short / 15 min)

Champagne 2005 (short/ 11min)

Phony Story 2004 (mobile short / 1:30 min/ collaboration with Ingeborg Houwen)

The Dutch Touch 2002 (sketch short/ 16:30 min)

IMDB : Atsushi Ogata (I) https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1788969/