Steve Iwamoto and Constance Wu in 'I Was a Simple Man'
"A lot of times the island is used as a pretty backdrop and the locals are at the margin," explains the filmmaker behind the Sundance dramatic competition title.
Christopher Yogi hopes to introduce audiences to a different Hawaii than the one they have grown accustomed to seeing onscreen.
"A lot of movies that take place here take place in hotels and at popular tourist spots," explains the filmmaker. "A lot of times the island is used as a pretty backdrop and the locals are at the margin."
I Was A Simple Man follows a family as their eldest, Masao (Steve Iwamoto), nears death. The cast includes Constance Wu, who first workshopped the project with Yogi years ago at the Sundance Labs and plays Masao's late wife, Grace, as she returns to her husband while he begins his transition.