TOKO SHIIKI

Born and raised in Japan, Toko Shiiki spent most of her life in Tokyo before moving to Michigan in 2005. Toko’s pursuit of using photography as a narrative medium inspired her to explore documentary filmmaking, where she delights in meeting fascinating people and sharing their stories with the world. She exhibits her work nationally and internationally, and has earned multiple awards like The International Photography Awards.

Since 2012, Toko has produced several documentary shorts, covering subjects like Japanese writers in University of Iowa's renowned International Writing Program, and an award-winning sake chief brewer. She made her feature-length debut three years later with "Threshold: Whispers of Fukushima", and the sequel film “Over The Sky”, which chronicled how Fukushima residents weathered the 2011 nuclear power plant disaster, earning an Accolade Global Film Competition Award (Documentary Feature, Contemporary Issues/Awareness Raising) and a Hometown Media Awards in the category of "documentary independent producer" by Alliance for Community Media, and nominated Nonfiction competition by Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2019 - “Passing the Baton”. In 2023, Shiiki’s short doc, “A Thousand Pebbles on the Ground” was distributed by PBS.

I have a passion for photography that tells a story. Many of my images are inspired by dreams and my life experiences. I have been working on the "inner-life documentary" project, to visualize what I've experienced at this present time. This led to my current fascination with documentary filmmaking, as a vehicle to share the stories and storytelling of unique individuals, and I have produced several short documentary films since 2012.  "Threshold: Whispers of Fukushima" is my first feature-length film.
I enjoy working with people - love photographing them, and shooting documentary films of fascinating people. That's one of my biggest life passions.

HONORS

• 2020 Music video "Joy" by Anne Heaton / Directed by Toko Shiiki
  - The 18th Annual Independent Music Awards Nominee for Social Action Video

• 2019 Documentary film "Over The Sky" won a Hometown Media Awards
  in the category of "documentary independent producer" by Alliance for Community Media.

• 2019 Documentary film "Passing the Baton" was nominated Nonfiction Competition by Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia

• 2015 Documentary film “Threshold: Whispers of Fukushima” won an Accolade Global Film Competition Award -- Award of Recognition: Documentary Feature -- Award of Recognition: Contemporary Issues/Awareness Raising

• 2014 Documentary film “Threshold: Whispers of Fukushima” has been selected as one of the "Hot Films" awards by From the Heart Productions/The Roy W. Dean Grants

• 2013 International Photography Awards – 1st place in People - Other category for the winning entry "Time Traveler"

• 2011 International Photography Awards – 1st place in People - Other category for the winning entry "In-between "Midlife"

• 2011 Photographer's Forum 31st Annual Spring Photography Contest. Honorable Mention

• 2011 Photo District News "FACES" CONTEST Self-Portrait.

• 2010 International Photography Awards – Honorable Mention. (Portrait/ Others)

• 2010 The 30th Annual College Photography Contest (Photographer's Forum magazine) Honorable Mention.

• 2009 Photo District News "FACES" CONTEST Self-Portrait Section.

• 2009 International Photography Awards – Honorable Mention. (Fine Art/Portrait)

• 2009 The 29th Annual College Photography Contest (Photographer's Forum magazine) Nominated for Finalist.

• 2008 The 28th Annual Spring Photography Contest (Photographer's Forum magazine) Nominated for Finalist.