Chiemi Karasawa is an award-winning Director/Producer who founded Isotope Films in 2007 to develop and produce non-fiction content for all media. Notable documentary credits include: “AKA Jane Roe” for FX Network, “Amazing Grace” (Neon Entertainment,) “Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me”, (IFC/Sundance Selects), “The Betrayal: Nerakoon”, and “Billy The Kid” (HBO). Her films have premiered at Sundance, Berlin, SXSW and Venice Film Festivals, garnering numerous awards including an Emmy and Oscar nomination. She has guest lectured at NYU, The New School, SVA, Boston University, and SFAI on Documentary Filmmaking and is a member of the Documentary Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
Prior to her work in documentary, Karasawa was a Script Supervisor in feature films and television for directors Martin Scorsese, Spike Jones, Jim Jarmusch. David Fincher and Rebecca Miller. She is currently working in development on a 4-part documentary series for HBO,and directing a feature documentary about social justice activist Amanda Nguyen. Karasawa is a graduate of Boston University’s College of Communication with a degree in Film & TV Production, and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.