Occidental Encounters Merging cultures, races and families is at the heart of any intercultural/interracial marriage. In Occidental Encounters the filmmaker explores while in the midst of her own "mixed" engagement and wedding. Two more experienced couples expound on their experiences as the filmmaker raises issues and questions. The film specifically looks at Japanese American marriages but the issues transcend. Festivals and Awards: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,     Student Academy Award Gold Medalist - May 1998 National Educational Media Network, Silver Apple Recipient - April 1998 Heartland Film Festival, Crystal Heart Award winner - October 1998 Dore Schary Award Finalist, Anti-Defamation League 1999 Mill Valley Film Festival - October 1998 Windy City Documentary Film Festival - September 1998 The BBC British Short Film Festival - September 1998 Humbolt International Film Festival - April 1998 Newport Beach International Film Festival - March/April 1998 Imagefest (Audience Choice Award) - January 1998 Dancing with God "‘The one thing truly worthwhile is becoming God's friend.’ (quoted from St. Gregory of Nyssa’s writings) That matters more than doing things right, so God will reward you, or avoiding evil, so you won't get punished..." says Rick Fabian of St. Gregory’s Church. Dancing with God is about a church and a community that embodies St. Gregory’s ideas. St. Gregory’s Church is a spiritual microcosm of the San Francisco Bay Area. Singing, dancing and sharing life’s experiences are vibrantly brought to life in this new 45 minute documentary. Credits: Producer/Director: Yuriko Gamo Romer Associate Producer: Monica Lam Director of Photography: Russell A. Hosking Cameras: Gail Huddleson, Brian Smith Sound: Monroe Cummings Production Assistance: Malinda Maynor, Will Zavala Editor: Yuriko Gamo Romer On-Line Editor: Roger Krakow Technical assistants: Elizabeth Johnson, Richard Allejandro Sound Mix: Craig Helmholz Bio - Yuriko Gamo Romer: Yuriko Gamo Romer was born in Japan and moved to the United States when she was seventeen months old. From early childhood, Ms. Romer has been bent on an artistic path as she exhibited an early facility for visual expression. At the age of four, her parents enrolled her in the New York City Museum of Modern Art's innovative art education program. At the age of six, she studied oil painting and at seven, ceramics and sculpture. In high school she continued to study art and photography, then went on to receive a B.F.A. in art/design at University of California at Los Angeles. After college, she spent 14 years as an art director in the creative departments of various New York advertising agencies, and received awards for her creative achievements in advertising. In 1994 Ms. Romer traded in her advertising career to pursue a new career in documentary filmmaking. She has made several short films. Including "Reflection" a personal essay/poem of the duality of a bi-cultural childhood, "Sunnyside of the Slope," which uses zen qualities of snowboarding as a metaphor for the life of a middle-aged American couple who have given up their careers as pharmacologists to start a snowboard clothing company. "Fusion," is a look into a unique theater in San Francisco that draws from various styles of dance and theater primarily fusing traditional Japanese theater with western theater. In June of 1997, Ms. Romer completed a master's degree in Stanford University’s prestigious documentary film and video program. Her most recent film is Occidental Encounters a personal documentary exploring the realm of intercultural/interracial marriage. In June of 1998 the film received the prestigious Documentary Film Gold Medal Student Academy Award from the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences. Ms. Romer has most recently completed a 45 minute documentary "Dancing with God" and is working on the distribution of Occidental Encounters and various upcoming film and video projects with Flying Carp Productions. Back to Main