Based in New York City, Reina Higashitani has produced, directed, photographed and edited numerous productions.   Her first feature length documentary “Shall We Sing?” won the Excellence and People’s Choice Awards at the 2007 Tokyo Video Festival and will soon air on PBS.  A scholar of film, Reina is a frequently published film critic, writing reviews and essays for newspapers and magazines in Japan and the U.S.  In addition, she works as a programmer for various film festivals and translates Japanese films for US distribution.  She is currently producing and directing non-profit promotional videos for DCTV’s Community Video Productions department.  Reina received her Master's Degree in Cinema Studies from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.