- Born and raised in Southern California, to parents who devoted their lives to raising their children after being incarcerated under Executive Order 9066. Her uncle who worked for the IRS as a CPA and stationed on the Universal lot said he received financial advice from her father, who had received his degree in Public Administration and saw Los Angeles change over the years working in the planning commissioner's office. Her father was drafted by the U.S. Army during the Korean War and released by honorable discharge. Both parents avid sports fans; die-hard Dodgers and Lakers fan. Growing up in a predominantly Japanese-American community filled with birthday and holiday celebrations, during elementary school while active in girl scouts and earning badges, the Buddhist church offered Japanese school in the afternoons, and she participated in its annual Bon Odori. She participated in retreats and enjoyed song and fellowship at Baptist church during her teens. She received the community Rotary Club Service Award at her 9th grade graduation and was active in and held offices in clubs and organizations such as the honor's club Athenians during high school. In her senior year, she was interviewed by the English section of the Rafu Shimpo as the "Ephebian Society welcomes ninety-one Japanese Americans into its ranks", and also received individually typed and personally signed congratulatory letters of achievement from Glenn M. Anderson, Congress of the United States, as well as Ralph C. Dills, State Senator, which she doubts is done any longer. A recipient of University and California State Scholarships, as a freshman at USC - a melting pot for ambitious students with diverse interests and talents from all backgrounds - her eyes opened to the world. She is a proud mother having raised two very sweet, happy little children. As young adults, one graduated as a bio psych major while the other licensed to practice law, their father a barrister - God rest his soul.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
- Sagiri has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and has worked for several years at Microsoft in a seasonal position as Royalty Reporting PM during the digital media licensing team's annual royalty reporting season (Interactive Entertainment Business unit). In an associate producer role for Paul Kostick's feature film debut Carried Away (1998), Sagiri solicited and negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers a North American home distribution deal which also provided an advance to help complete and ready the picture for distribution. She assisted in the Ancient Warriors (2003)'s sales office at AFM, and also solicited and helped to secure worldwide distribution, reviews and a screening for the dark comedy horror film Natural Possession: Director's Cut (2008) upon the request of a friend.
- In elementary school Sagiri was selected, along with a very small handful of students, to participate in an enrichment program which was to experiment with movie equipment. Fond memories include stop motion and introduction to the moviola and splicing. With the culmination of a production of the short film "Patience Painting Pays" which was about a girl who successfully sells an abstract geometric painting she has created on canvas, these students received hands on experience to the various aspects of filmmaking. Overall it provided a special and unique time for collaboration among friends.
- Gaining insight into movie making at an early age never dreaming that someday she would be pulled in, again, but much later in life into the real world of the film business with meaningful passion projects to help the community and/or entertain on a worldwide basis.
- After introduction to artist Noriko Shinohara, one of the subjects of the Oscar nominated American Documentary Cutie and the Boxer (2013), by Brian Avery in regards to Noriko's beautiful 'ink wash and line drawings' expressing the tale of her personal story beginning upon her arrival to New York from Japan entitled "Cutie and Bullie", Sagiri received an exquisite award winning etching "Diana at Her Bath" while Brian received "Pineapple Eating People" from 'Cutie'.
- In respect for and in collaboration with the Hyogo Business and Cultural Center (HBCC wanted to promote Kobe City's expansion in the contents business to the U.S., in particular regarding a special IP owned by Microsoft at the time), Sagiri introduced delegates from Japan to Hollywood producer Sasha Harari given his daughter's interest in anime, where the Japanese producers presented an anime workshop at The Japan Foundation LA and The Art Institute of Seattle. She was invited to Japan on several occasions due to the support and encouragement of the HBCC director's interest from their Japanese associates involved in media. She had the honor of meeting the first film commissioner of Japan, Ms. Mako Tanaka. A highlight was meeting producer Tatsuo Shimamura at Imagica Corporation. Imagica collaborated on the Academy Award winning Animated Short Film The Old Man and the Sea (1999), where over 29,000 frames were shot of pastel oil paintings on glass sheets positioned on multiple levels, a technique mastered by only a handful of animators in the world.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content