The Sensei

The Sensei is a 2008 independent feature film, written, produced and directed by Diana Lee Inosanto (credited as D. Lee Inosanto).

Set in Colorado, the story takes place in 1985 during the rise of the AIDS panic. McClain Evans is a gay high school student, constantly the target of bullying in his town. Karen O'Neil is a woman haunted by the death of her pro-boxer fiancé, Mark Corey. After a five-year absence, she returns to her family, who runs a successful martial arts school. When McClain is attacked by three local teens, his mother, Annie, asks Karen to teach her son martial arts so that he can defend himself. Karen's family is fearful of anti-gay retaliation, so Karen is forced to secretly teach McClain at night. When word of this reaches her family, and the small-town community, violence erupts, and family and friendship are challenged, forcing Karen to reveal her own dark and tragic secret to those she loves most.

• Diana Lee Inosanto as Karen Nakano O'Neil
• Michael O'Laskey as McClain Evans
• Brad Thornton as Larry Blackbelt
• Keith David as the Minister
• Louis Mandylor as Mark Corey
• Sab Shimono as Taky Nakano
• Emily Kuroda as Flora Nakano
• Michael Yama as Yori Nakano
• Tim Lounibos as Simon Nakano O'Neil
• Tzi Ma as the Buddhist Monk
• Mark McGraw as Rick Beard
• Jonathan Camp as Craig Beard
• Gina Scalzi as Annie Evans
• Bryan Frank as Peter O'Neil
• Michael Hake as Gary O'Neil
• Ron Balicki as Samurai #1 / Sparring Partner Vince

• Best Feature Writer – La Femme International Film Festival^[1]
• Honorable Mention, Best Feature Film – Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival^[2]
• Best Screenplay (Feature Film) – Hoboken International Film Festival^[3]

• Official website
• The Sensei at IMDb
• The Sensei profiled by Jane Mee Wong in Northwest Asian Weekly (Oct. 2008)