Skin Deep (1995 film)

Skin Deep
Directed by	Midi Onodera
Produced by	Midi Onodera Mehernaz Lentin
Written by	Midi Onodera Barbara O’Kelly
Starring	Natsuko Ohama Melanie Nicholls-King Keram Malicki-Sánchez
Music by	Kathryn Moses
Cinematography	Robert MacDonald
Edited by	Sarah Peddie
Production company	Studio D
Release dates	1995 (1995)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	Canada
Language	English

Skin Deep is a film by Canadian filmmaker Midi Onodera.

Plot

Skin Deep tells the story of an award winning director, Alex Koyama (Natsuko Ohama), who is in the process of making a film about the tattoo industry, and the love and obsession that can arise in the "skin art" culture. Conflict develops between Koyama and her lesbian lover / assistant, Montana (Melanie Nicholls-King) when Koyama hires a new production assistant, Chris (Keram Malicki-Sánchez), who is transgender and quickly becomes obsessed with Koyama.

Themes

Skin Deep explores themes of love, obsession, and identity (both gender identity and sexual orientation identity), using the tattoo as a metaphor for identity change and identity hiding.

Production

Skin Deep was written, directed, and co-produced by Onodera. It was produced in cooperation with the National Film Board of Canada, with funding from

• the Canada Council
• the Ontario Arts Council
• Canadian Heritage: Multiculturalism Program
• National Association of Japanese Canadians
• Racial Equity Fund – OFDC & LIFT
• the Toronto Lesbian & Gay Appeal

Reception

Skin Deep was awarded the Best Feature Film: Audience Award at the 1995 Hamburg International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.

External links

• Skin Deep at Midi Onodera's personal website