Rodrigo Inada

Rodrigo Inada is a Japanese-Brazilian film director whose multidisciplinary background in art direction, cinematography, and post production informs his bold, visually distinctive approach to storytelling. With an instinct for finding the surreal lying just underneath everyday moments, he builds psychological worlds for his characters that feel intimate and big at the same time. His early short films CIRCA 2020 and Put it On Your Face, established him as a distinctive voice in contemporary filmmaking, shaped by both his Brazilian and Japanese heritage.

After moving into the UK advertising and short-form world, Rodrigo built an international career directing culturally rich, visually ambitious work across film, music, and advertising. An earlier chapter saw him co-found the directing duo Nono + Rodrigo, creating award-winning work including Terra Cene, which won a Gold Screen at Cannes YDA, Gold at the 1.4 Awards, and the Grand Prize at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. Recently Rodrigo collaborated with the actor Rami Malek to create a Dogma 95 inspired short, and his work has since been recognized across the Clios, ADC, Shots Awards and other major international festivals, while his music films have included collaborations with Kehlani featuring Justin Bieber and a psychological thriller magic show-inspired music video for Jackson Wang’s High Alone.

A defining project in his career was Naija Odyssey, the global campaign for WhatsApp following NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo across Milwaukee, Nigeria, and Greece. The film earned multiple awards and went on to stream on Amazon Prime. Rodrigo has since directed campaigns for an impressive roster of global brands including Nike, Microsoft, Fujifilm, Perplexity, Meta, Ford, Revolut and UPS.

2026 Speakers