Tatsurō Manno grew up in Osaka, Japan and traveled to the US when he was 19 to attend California State University Northridge. He graduated with a BA in Film Production. After returning to Japan, he directed Japanese Kabuki super star Ebizo Ichikawa’s videos, a TV program for NHK WORLD – JAPAN, and programs for NewsPicks. He was also the director of his own projects. His short film "Motherhood," about the Eugenics Protection Act, has been selected at more than 20 film festivals in Japan and abroad, and it has won awards at numerous festivals, including Best Foreign Film at the Action on Film Festival.