Gregory Hatanaka
- Directing
Biography
Gregory Hatanaka is an American filmmaker, producer, and distributor whose career bridges international film distribution and independent feature production. He is the founder of Cinema Epoch and Cineridge Entertainment, companies through which he has overseen the release and circulation of a wide range of independent and international films across theatrical and digital platforms. Hatanaka began his career in film distribution in the 1990s, working with cult and international cinema and helping introduce global genre and arthouse titles to U.S. audiences. His early work focused particularly on Asian and specialty films, reflecting a long-standing passion for drive-in cinema, action films, and unconventional storytelling. This foundation in international distribution informed his later approach as a filmmaker, blending genre tradition with stylistic experimentation. Transitioning into directing and producing his own features, Hatanaka developed a body of work that moves between action, thriller, drama, and surreal independent cinema. His films often explore themes of identity, obsession, moral ambiguity, and emotional isolation. Visually, his work combines classical influences with contemporary digital production techniques, frequently embracing tonal shifts, heightened atmosphere, and character-driven intensity. Known for maintaining close creative involvement in multiple stages of production, Hatanaka often works across development, editing, and post-production to preserve continuity of vision. His dual experience in both distribution and filmmaking provides him with a practical understanding of how independent films evolve from concept to audience. Prolific and adaptable, Hatanaka continues to develop new projects while managing an expanding catalog of independent cinema. His career reflects a sustained commitment to genre filmmaking, global film culture, and the evolving landscape of digital distribution.
Known for
Filmography
- Killer Ants · Producer
- Vietnam: Kill Zone · Producer
- Beyond Files · Director, Writer
- Jeffrey Epstein: The Bad Sleep Well · Lapatas, Director
- Maid Robot 2 · Producer
- Sasquatch Within · Director, Writer
- Robot Girls · Producer
- Beyond Sasquatch · Director, Writer
- Tutor Emanuelle · Producer
- Maid Robot · Producer
- Boy Of Your Dreams 2 · Producer
- Bikini Lawyer · Producer
- One Hour Girlfriend · Director, Writer
- Bikini Office Girl · Producer
- Red Emanuelle · Producer
- Office Tokyo Decadence · Producer
- Angels of Tokyo Decadence · Producer
- Bikini Nurses · Producer
- Body Of Nurses · Producer
- Sorority House Guillotine · Director, Writer
- Bad Girl Office · Producer
- Blue Emanuelle · Producer
- Sudden Light · Director, Writer
- Say Cheese · Executive producer
- The Anna Game · Producer
- The Dead Guy · Producer
- Shadow Death · Producer
- Lady in the Urn · Executive producer, Producer
- After Divorce · Producer
- Apologize · Producer
- Saving the Alpha CEO · Producer
- Haunted House Movie · Producer
- Bad Girl Sunday School · Producer
- Amityville Chupacabra · Producer
- Dreams for Lease · Producer
- Kamasutra Cowgirl · Producer
- Amityville La Llorona · Producer
- La Llorona Kamasutra · Producer
- Chupacabra vs. La Llorona · Producer
- Bikini Guillotine · Producer
- Bad Girl School · Producer, Executive producer
- Bigfoot Primal Encounter · Producer
- Divorced · Producer
- Anatomy Lab · Producer
- Blood Rush · Producer
- Robot Girlfriend: Revenge · Producer
- Boy of Your Dreams · Producer
- Dance the Kung Fu · Producer
- The Creativity Workshop · Producer
- Red Static Rising · Producer, Executive producer
- The Idaho College Killer · Producer
- The Mother's Eye · Producer
- Blood of La Llorona · Producer
- Torment of the Witch · Producer
- Butchered by Sundown · Producer
- Laserium · Producer
- A Man Is Dead · Director, Writer
- Paranormal Body Stream · Producer, Executive producer
- Battle Beyond Mars · Producer
- The Centipede Strangler · Executive producer
- Angels in Retina · Producer
- Feral · Producer
- Poison Tree · Producer
- Sorority Girl Massacre: Black Static at the Moment of Death · Producer
- Love Never Leaves · Producer, Executive producer
- American Psychopath · Executive Co-Producer
- American Scream · Producer
- Trail Cam Sasquatch · Executive producer
- Love Hurts · Producer, Executive producer
- Demon Spawn · Producer
- Blow Out · Fatalama, Director
- Maid Droid Origins · Producer
- One Million Babes BC · Executive producer
- Souls of the Damned · Executive producer
- Yakuza Girl · Takasi, Producer
- Bolero · Cinematography, Director
- American Werewolf · Producer
- Sleaze Please: The World of Bill Margold · Director, Producer
- Boiling Point · Director, Writer
- Blue Belt · Producer, Executive producer