MANEKI | Full Lesbian Short Film

Рет қаралды 350,476

6 ай бұрын

Aiko, a young cashier working at a ramen restaurant, gets rejected by Jean, Aiko’s favorite regular. But when Jean returns to the restaurant and tries to bridge the gap, Aiko must reconcile her feelings as their relationship enters uncharted territory.
Official Selection
Austin Film Festival
Outfest Fusion
Asian American International Film Festival
San Diego Asian Film Festival
Boston Asian American Film Festival
Santa Monica International Film Festival
If you ask someone out, and you get rejected, can you still be friends? That's the question we sought to answer with this cute, light-hearted coming-of-age film.
Starring
Iris Liu as Aiko / irisliuofficial
Elsie Wang as Jean / elsielwang
Garth Sodetani as Ricky / kidtani
Cory Wong as a customer / cswongphoto
Directed by Brandon Okumura / brandokumura
Written by Maggie Wong / maggarino
Story by Maggie Wong, Brandon Okumura, and Katherine Tran / k_tran
Produced by Leon Cheo / leoncheo
Cinematography by Jucel Andrin / jucelandrin_
1st AD - Austin Quon / quonfucious
1st AC - Isaiah Walk / isaiahwalk_dp
Gaffer - Jamon Tolbert / jamon.tolbert
Key Grip - Christian Kim / christian_kiim
G/E Swing - Brendan Yoo / _brendan.yoo_
Sound Mixing and Sound Design - Marcos Castro / mantonitro
Production Design - Grace Kim / msgracekim
Art PA - Danielle Kim / danielle_daeun
PA/Runner/2nd AC - Riley Okumura / itsrileyokay
Location - My Ramen Bar / myramenbar
#gayfilm #bisexual #lesbian #shortfilm #comedy #drama #lgbtq #lgbtqfilm #queer #romance #rejection #relationships #gaypanic #ramen #4k #asianamerican #okiemedia

Пікірлер: 217

@brandonokumura 4 ай бұрын

If you have any questions about the making of the film, or if you want to hear more about it came together, comment below! Thanks for watching 🙂

@OnionRing6000 6 ай бұрын

"That was the most painful thing I've ever witnessed". Me too Ricky. Me too.

@brandonokumura 6 ай бұрын

😅😅😅

@whalium889 5 ай бұрын

It was painful watching him watch in the background

@AsianGlowXO 3 ай бұрын

AF 😅😅😅😅😅

@CalTHEvampire 3 ай бұрын

My favorite line "please don't sue us"

@user-db2wc8rv3z 3 ай бұрын

I just find it so funny how Asian women act so fake with like every other ethnicity male or female but then try to make them look Genuine

@thegaychip123 Ай бұрын

Mine too

@vincyagain 6 ай бұрын

The tension, the awkwardness, the gay panic, the sibling dynamic. The writer did a great job and the acting was perfect. Thank you for making a queer short film Brandon! This is a dream to watch! I’d love to know your thoughts behind the project!

@maggiewong6453 6 ай бұрын

🥺❤

@vincyagain 6 ай бұрын

@@maggiewong6453we need more Asian queer representation, this short story meant a lot to me❤ thank you for this wholesome story, maggie.

@maggiewong6453 6 ай бұрын

@@vincyagainI'm so happy to hear that

@brandonokumura 6 ай бұрын

I'm so glad you liked it! It was a labor of love from everyone involved. I've thought about producing some kind of commentary about the production at some point, so perhaps that's in the future!

@jeanniesegall287 2 ай бұрын

This was such a lovely piece of natural film storytelling. I would be very interested to know how you came to make it and the stories of the people involved. It feels almost totally improvisational within a given framework. Thank you to you all.

@Clockworkcityofpain 5 ай бұрын

I love how you didn't push for an ending that would've felt too rushed given their situation. I loved that it ended just when it did. Great job!

@brandonokumura 5 ай бұрын

The start of a beautiful friendship 😊

@littlepig4596 3 ай бұрын

@@brandonokumurano its gay i saw the next one

@ShafyUlya-ij8el Ай бұрын

WHEREEE@@littlepig4596

@user-iu7bf4vi7c 2 ай бұрын

I really like how understanding ricky was. I thought he was gonna be a stereotypical homophobic male but he let her know that asking someone out was simply unprofessional. not wrong. We all need a supportive friend like this. Me and my girlfriend had a rocky relationship because we were both in middle school. i was afraid to tell my friends because i thought they would think I was weird, my middle school brain couldn't process the fact that we were all bi and it wasn't weird.

@scales57 4 ай бұрын

wow, the awkward silence was so LOUD! I have goose bumps!

@EvidentlyThinking 4 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for this! Genuinely, on behalf of the lesbian community, it means the world to have more short film representation. The camera work and acting was beautiful and natural 🤍

@brandonokumura 4 ай бұрын

Thank you for your kind words and for watching!! 😊

@peabeanmilk Ай бұрын

wow. i related to this on a deep molecular level. i, too, am a queer asian who got rejected by a really great friend of mine 😭😭😭😭😭 we’re still friends so everything turned out okay

@linasalazar7496 5 ай бұрын

That was very awkward. She asked her out in a nice way. She said let’s be friends. To be honest if somebody would ask me out, I would not know what to say but that came out nice the way she said it to thumbs up 👍 👍for that short film. Love it you guys are awesome keep it up you’re doing a good job.

@brandonokumura 5 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@linasalazar7496 5 ай бұрын

Thank you 😊 🙏

@linasalazar7496 4 ай бұрын

Thank you 🙏

@h0rn3d_h1st0r1an 4 ай бұрын

We all need a Ricky in our lives.

@that-one3408 2 ай бұрын

In ricky we trust

@h0rn3d_h1st0r1an 2 ай бұрын

@@that-one3408 #rickyisdagoat

@agnesborbe2395 Ай бұрын

Agree

@sakhisayi9340 6 ай бұрын

Looked so natural and heart warming... felt warmness inside every single dialogues... really an unexpected find for me. Really gives of so many emotions in every frames. Looking forward for your next work.

@brandonokumura 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! I'm glad you connected to our story 🙂

@melondoo6129 6 ай бұрын

this was honestly very heartfelt and cute.

@brandonokumura 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching!

@talkin_bout_this 3 ай бұрын

I loved it. Not the typical short film where they both start dating by the end rather this was slow and calm, showing the process of their journey.

@Koda534 2 ай бұрын

The silence was so painful it physically hurt

@PhoenixCoversOfficial 5 ай бұрын

the storyline was creative and the acting was perfect

@brandonokumura 4 ай бұрын

Thank you! The actors were all so great, I agree!

@name-mh2cn 2 ай бұрын

finally a short film that actually feels like a short movie. The acting was good and the storyline too. I got taken away in it. Not trying to hate on other short films, but the bad acting often distracts me and doesnt make me feel like i belong in the story

@User-kt8nh 2 ай бұрын

i wanna know if the ramen was kinda a metaphor for dating a girl, shes never tried it, but she would only want to with Aiko, or am i reading to deep into it lol?

@eyesonyujin9180 5 ай бұрын

This was so cute 🥹🥹 just some cute lil loser lesbian doing cute lil lesbian things ❤ thank you for making this, we need more cute wlw stories like this!

@brandonokumura 5 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching and so glad your enjoyed it!! We wanted it to be a light and cute story 😊

@ranran9835 3 ай бұрын

ricky is so funny xD "please dont sue us!" ^.^

@xXCarlota_drawsXx 2 ай бұрын

5:46 **Ankward silence** I CAN'T-

@caroalvar1511 25 күн бұрын

That was...yeah hahaha

@edyak6280 3 ай бұрын

Relationships sometimes do need to grow; it’s not all wham, bam, thank you ma’am. A beautiful story, performed by two talented lead actors. Well done!

@myheartisburiedinvenice 6 ай бұрын

HOW IS THIS NOT TRENDING YET???

@brandonokumura 6 ай бұрын

Share with your friends! Thanks for watching

@Frir10 3 ай бұрын

This was written and acted so naturally by everyone. These feel like real people having real conversations. Good job everryone!

@A.v.g79 3 ай бұрын

What a wonderful short story! I wanted to say thank you for making this film, as a lesbian I dont really get to see stories about my type of love very often and definitely not high quality and heart-warming like this one. So a HUGE THANK YOU for everybody involved in this❤

@spudsbuchlaw 20 күн бұрын

6 seasons and a movie, NOW

@SearchinJoy 2 ай бұрын

This is so good. You all nailed it and the awkwardness and embarrassment is so real it dredged up memories that made it doubly worse! Fantastic. Congratulations - especially to the painfully believable Iris and Elsie.

@etherealistic5965 Ай бұрын

is, is the ramen metaphor for them dating or I'm just overthinking?

@riversbend 26 күн бұрын

this is absolutely DELIGHTFUL. i could feel everything Aiko was feeling, from the longing to the awkward to the mop in her hands, and I felt like she and Jean and Ricky were all going places I've lived before with work and life and friendship. Beautiful to watch, great story, great acting. Thank you all!

@justforglee 4 ай бұрын

soo wholesome I cant literally 🤌🏻😭really well written and the actors did a great job!

@Winter-i-adore Ай бұрын

Ricky: please dont sue us!.. 💀

@user-zx1ul4tf6b 25 күн бұрын

i am so invested in this dynamic i wish it was a full series or movie 😭😭😭😭😭

@ElazarusWills Ай бұрын

Very well done piece all around. It drew me all the way through and the open-ended ending was near perfect. Believable and not contrived. Iris Liu was exceptional.

@Rockwith_gyu 3 ай бұрын

The ending ahhh I love this sm, it was painful but overall super sweet

@dtocksdtocks 2 ай бұрын

Ricky was funny as heck!

@Lilibee_15 Ай бұрын

3:50 literally is how I feel when something didn’t go how I planned with a girl. I loved this sm

@adriftbubbles6817 6 ай бұрын

loved it! but the tension was soooo suffocating T_T was too early for me to witness this sort of tension

@brandonokumura 6 ай бұрын

Thank you! The awkward tension is off the charts!

@cash.and.mouse666 3 ай бұрын

oouuufff, great tension building ;-; the silent moments spoke volumes

@isabelchen7091 6 ай бұрын

So relatable!! Love this kind of content. Can’t wait to see more. Just subscribed ❤

@brandonokumura 6 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for subscribing!

@paulavanvliet4127 3 ай бұрын

This is so so good wow! No music needed whci I respect a lot, great shots, amazing actresses and actor, wow!

@orangexmm 4 ай бұрын

the east asian culture always can hold a subtle feeling of ambiguity，careful， hint， the heart pounding under the silence

@meganchan9845 6 ай бұрын

So cute, glad I finally got to see this!

@brandonokumura 6 ай бұрын

Glad you liked it!

@Noxllyde 6 ай бұрын

This was lovely, looking forward to your next projects 😊❤

@brandonokumura 6 ай бұрын

More to come!

@albarainbow 19 күн бұрын

I’d watch a whole series with them❤❤❤

@caroalvar1511 25 күн бұрын

I liked that you put [awkward silence] because it felt hahaha. I loved your work, that of the scriptwriters, the actresses and the actor, everything was incredible! 🥺❤️

@adria345 6 ай бұрын

Absolutely loved this short film. Amazing work

@brandonokumura 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much!

@thomasg627 6 ай бұрын

Is it just me? I don't see a lesbian film here, it's a story of a gay girl and a straight girl becoming friends, nothing more. There is no uncharted territory, their friendship can continue only if the gay girl gives up her feelings and agrees to be just friends, or else she will either get her heart broken or their friendship will break or both of that. It's the same in real life, almost every gay girl in the world can tell you a story about having had a crush on a straight girl and pretty much none of these stories have a happy end.

@OnionRing6000 6 ай бұрын

Totally agree. I know the heart break though. Hurts like real hell. That's why I try to stay away from straight girl as much as I possibly can. Although we all know it's inevitable falling for them lol.

@desyraychan3408 6 ай бұрын

Literally just happened to me, I told this girl I liked her and she said she liked being my friend and is still figuring things out about her sexuality

@sarahwingert225 6 ай бұрын

Ironically I'm currently friends with a straight girl I have a huge crush on and it works perfectly well cause she flirts a lot with women, she just doesn't feel the sexual part. I can easily live without the sexual intimacy. So we just chill together, acting as if we were basically in a relationship and I really enjoy it, even though I know she's not really interested in me.

@OnionRing6000 6 ай бұрын

@@desyraychan3408 Hope you're doing okay. Seems like she's still figuring stuff out so you might have a chance lol.

@jeonjunggukseomma_2.097 5 ай бұрын

No the other girl is Bi lol 🤩🤭

@this_is_not_vee 3 ай бұрын

I love it this has me giggling and kicking my feet

@-missballoon819 2 ай бұрын

30 seconds in, she is so me hello?!

@JediMB 3 ай бұрын

KZfaq algorithm finally delivering That Good Content.

@marjannevandenberg-dansen7778 5 ай бұрын

The story was very familiar to me... Great actors, great story, I really loved it.

@brandonokumura 5 ай бұрын

Thank you very much!

@Wildflower90640 Ай бұрын

That was well done, all around. The writing, timing of dialogue, and the awkward silences. Extremely well done. It seems like the perfect pilot to a mini-series, but all on its own, it warmed my heart. As a 70-year-old male, it feels charming to be reminded that love can be that simple! ❤

@adriftbubbles6817 6 ай бұрын

aahahdjahgkhag the awkward silence is giving me anxietyyyyy :))

@ziyuliu6351 Ай бұрын

Thank you！It is so beautiful and such a natural flow to film it，looking forward to see what‘s next☺☺

@whalium889 5 ай бұрын

Aiko is the definition of gay panic

@brandonokumura 5 ай бұрын

I've been told that as well 🙂 thanks for watching!

@PilotzInTheSky 5 ай бұрын

Found this little gem 💎…thanks for this !

@heedeugie963 6 ай бұрын

Such a beautiful and heart warming movie 🫶🏻

@brandonokumura 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching :)

@eldergeektromeo9868 3 ай бұрын

Very well told. Compliments to all involved! Thank You.

@CandiceLikes 6 ай бұрын

Super cute short film. Actors did a great job. 👍👍

@brandonokumura 6 ай бұрын

The actors did super well, I agree!

@cherylsmith4896 6 ай бұрын

this was wonderfull an all fronts, and the cast are lovely... thanks

@brandonokumura 5 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@im.claire 2 ай бұрын

I LOVE THIS!!!

@Ultimateer 3 ай бұрын

Well written, shot and acted! Loved it!

@julescaru8591 5 ай бұрын

Ok , that was good ! All the best Jules 👏🌈

@tarapeart721 3 ай бұрын

ugh this is so good

@dcskggg 5 ай бұрын

The acting! 👌👌👌👌🤌🤌🤌🤌

@brandonokumura 5 ай бұрын

The actors are great right? Thanks for watching!

@danielaflores7079 5 ай бұрын

i need more short with this 3 ❤❤ I really love it ALL that was a lot of emotions in a short while. Nice job🎉

@brandonokumura 5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much!!

@MrHadaproduction 4 ай бұрын

so good, so beautiful shot. so Meaningful. i love this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@MossChildxD Ай бұрын

3 minutes in and i already love it sm aaa

@alejnathereseponce3122 6 ай бұрын

oh my gawdddd this is so cute T-T i can feel the tension....I love this

@brandonokumura 6 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed 😊

@deroux 2 ай бұрын

That was sweet. Thank you!

@tor.giraffe Ай бұрын

This is so hard core relatable

@TheriiYuh 4 ай бұрын

I love this sm

@khoduswadia6653 2 ай бұрын

Absolutely brilliant....

@syntaques 2 ай бұрын

This is excellent. Thank you

@nehabharali3711 6 ай бұрын

a happy Part 2 needed ❤️

@brandonokumura 6 ай бұрын

Maybe in the future!

@beomjunsimp Ай бұрын

Aww this is such a sweet story

@MilkTeaMaddie 3 ай бұрын

That was so cute!

@melissawebb7111 Ай бұрын

We need a part 2!

@beetroot9934 5 ай бұрын

Ahhhh so cuteeee. Got me all smiley😂

@brandonokumura 5 ай бұрын

So glad to hear it!

@anweshahazra9171 3 ай бұрын

This is beautiful

@beafonsecacruzcarvalho 2 ай бұрын

the last conversation...... isn"t about ramen

@taylorchan 6 ай бұрын

Bravo Brandon!

@brandonokumura 6 ай бұрын

Thanks Taylor!!

@ohhi7202 Ай бұрын

iiiiii love ittttt😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️✨️✨️

@sandyd6361 3 ай бұрын

I need a part two 😭😭😭

@Hammster69official 4 ай бұрын

Aw, this was so cute... 🙂

@Goodgirlie123 Ай бұрын

This is soo good 👍

@Adam-eb8ue 5 ай бұрын

Hey! This is good. Really good. More please!

@brandonokumura 5 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@helen-ot6ml 4 ай бұрын

I love the actresses

@Bubu4813 6 ай бұрын

awwww i loved it ;--;

@brandonokumura 6 ай бұрын

Thank you, I'm so glad 😊

@gmacgreg7738 2 ай бұрын

This is how most guys feel every time we ask someone out. But if you don't shoot your shot you never know. What is that old saying, "it is better to have Loved and lost than never Loved at all." Relatable.