Kaz Ayukawa

Movies

Lord Thing
Director of Photography
Produced at the height of the black power movement in the early ‘70s, Lord Thing is an insider history into the genesis and transformation of the Conservative Vice Lords gang, one of Chicago's oldest street gangs. Partially shaped and told by by CVL members who also appear in the film, Lord Thing is a unique and powerful tool that expresses an effort in self-transformation during a volatile and violent time in US race history. Gritty and rhythmic, this unusual film reflects an under-told chapter in gang history as members from the West Side neighborhood of North Lawndale try to become viable and political agents in their community. (Chicago Film Archives)
Making It
Additional Photography
A documentary that looks at the obstacles African-American males face when building a career. As the narrator states, "this film is about his chances, about the changes that have been made and the problems still remaining." The film includes interviews with men who are "making it," or who are some of the first African Americans in their field.