Both his parents and grandparents were confined to the Minidoka, Idaho, internment camp during World War II, after losing everything. He also had two "uncles" (family friends) who served in Company I of the 442nd, which was the first to break through to the Texas "Lost Battalion." Born and raised in Philadelphia, Koiwai spent two years at Clarion State College, then traveled the entire Continental U.S., before settling in the Bay Area in 1973. He was attending West Valley Community College, when he suddenly decided to pursue an acting career as a result of seeing the NBC television drama, "Farewell to Manzanar" – featuring a cast of Japanese-American actors (including Pat Morita) in the story of the notorious World War II internment camp. Koiwai subsequently took master classes with Jerzy Grotowski at the Acting Conservatory of the Arts, and spent a summer performing with the world-renown San Francisco Mime troupe. He also transferred to California State University in Los Angeles, where he graduated with a B.A. in Theater Arts in 1979. Meanwhile, he had joined the East West Players in L.A., and begun acting professionally with a guest starring role in Lee Major's TV series, "The Fall Guy," and an appearance in Francis Ford Coppola's "One From the Heart." It was after producing over 40 theater productions and while studying for a master's degree in stage direction that a fateful encounter with Danny DeVito diverted him into film and television. Koiwai had produced a musical at the Beverly Hills Playhouse and rewired the entire electrical system to accommodate the massive lighting design. Directly following the engagement, DeVito was scheduled to produce a play starring his then-girlfriend, Rhea Perlman. When an El Nino storm swamped the city,
knocking out utilities, DeVito couldn't get the lights on in the theater. So he phoned
Koiwoi, who thought it was a prank call and hung up. DeVito rang back, urging Koiwai to stay on the line: "What have you got to lose? I just may be him!" When Koiwai arrived at the theater, DeVito was waiting for him in the street holding a parking space, while the actors were inside rehearsing in the dark. Koiwai ended up being the Lighting Designer for the show.
DeVito subsequently introduced Koiwai to his associates in the technical side of the business, allowing the young man to network into the industry – where he gained invaluable experience in almost every aspect of production. Soon after, Koiwai was hired by Roger Corman during the heyday of New World Pictures when Ron Howard had directed his first feature, "Grand Theft Auto," James Cameron ('Titanic") switched from truck driver to movie model maker, and Gale Anne Hurd (who later married Cameron and produced many of his films) went from PA to running the entire production office.
Koiwai also advised producer Michael Toshiyuki Uno on his Academy Awardnominated short film, "The Silence," a story of a young Vietnamese woman dedicated to the dead until a wounded American soldier lifts her back into life with the living. And in 1983, he met Jackie Kong, then a 21-year-old female Chinese American filmmaker making her directorial debut with "The Being, starring Martin Landau for New World Pictures. It was the beginning of a long collaboration in which Koiwai would co-produce three cult hits directed by Kong for New World Pictures. The first, "Night Patrol," in 1984, starred Murray Langston (the Unknown Comic), Pat Paulsen, Linda Blair, and Pat Morita in a cop caper comedy. The second, "The Underachievers," in 1987, starred Eddie Albert and Barbara Carrera in a slapstick comedy about adult education. And the third, also in 1987, was a splatter comedy called "Blood Diner," about two caterers with a secret ingredient. When he's not working on productions, Koiwai serves as the president of DVF, Inc., producing live multi-media special event programs for convention associations, corporate clients and non-profit community organizations in Southern California.
Indican Pictures
