We wanted to make a film about a sushi chef. Instead, we made a film about sacrificing for a dream
Still Single directors on how a film about Canada’s first two Michelin-starred sushi chef became so much more
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Jamal Burger, Jukan Tateisi · CBC Arts · Posted: Sep 09, 2025 10:34 AM PDT | Last Updated: 1 hour ago
Sushi chef Masaki Saito, Canada's only two-star Michelin sushi chef, in Still Single (Courtesy TIFF)
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"There is no such thing as a 'Japanese dream.'"
Masaki Saito made this statement in 2022, the year he became the first chef in Canada to be awarded two Michelin stars. Born and raised in a small fishing town in Hokkaido, Saito trained as a sushi apprentice in Japan before venturing overseas. The weight of his statement came from years of rigorous training and the accomplishments he had accumulated both in Japan and elsewhere.
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Back in 2022, before our co-directed documentary Still Single even had a title, our intention was simple: we wanted to trace the cultural and
traditional ties between Japan and North America through the story of Canada's first two-Michelin-starred sushi chef. For Jamal Burger, who has long been fascinated by Japanese culture and spirituality and has visited the country dozens of times, and for Jukan Tateisi, who was born in North America and raised amid multiple cultures, constantly navigating between their values, this debut co-directed documentary was conceived with that vision in mind.
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As we followed Saito across Canada, the United States, Hong Kong and Japan, the focus of our film began to shift. In Japan, we chased the history and techniques embedded in each piece of sushi, travelling from the northernmost regions to the southern islands. We interviewed former colleagues, gathering testimonials about Saito's skills and the
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uncompromising discipline of becoming a sushi craftsman. After a year, we had nearly all the material necessary to tell the story of sushi and of Saito as a chef. And yet, much of it remains unseen.
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The essence of Saito's story boils down to a single question:
Is it really true that the Japanese dream no longer exists? Or was it never there in the first place? If so, how many "dreams" remain in the world today, and what must one sacrifice in order to achieve them? Almost without realizing it, we had begun making a film not about sushi, nor even about sushi chefs.
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A sushi restaurant is not merely a place to eat. It is a place to learn about new foods and the places they come from, to discover, by chance, that the stranger sitting next to you shares multiple mutual friends, to savour not only the craftsmanship of the chef but also the art of communication itself. It is a place where one "eats an experience."
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Just as chef's choice omakase-style dining offers more than food, we came to believe that our film should offer the experience behind Saito's sushi — his personality, his stories and his philosophy.
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From there, we began to follow more of Saito's private life. We travelled with him on his journeys, even slipping into his hotel rooms, attended family gatherings with his business partner William Cheng and his relatives. Through countless rounds of shooting and editing, the film's themes gradually shifted — from culture and tradition and international exchange to perfection, dreams and ultimately love.
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The title Still Single was born out of this process. It carries several layers of meaning: Saito, who despite the twists and turns of success, remains single; the solitary path of a craftsman; the unmatched character he embodies. It is meant not in a pessimistic sense, but rather with the recognition that life , in some ways, is a journey walked alone.
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Since we began shooting, the Michelin Guide has announced its rankings three more times. Over the course of production, Saito went through twists and turns, yet as a person, he gained new "layers of umami." We too grew alongside him, acquiring knowledge, experiences and friendships.
One story Saito shared during filming, though not told in the film itself, left a deep impression on us. He explained how a single tuna can cross the Pacific, moving back and forth between North America and Japan. Where does the tuna taste better when caught? In Japan, he said. Because there, the proximity of mountains and sea allows minerals to flow into the ocean, nourishing plankton, feeding countless creatures and deepening umami. For reasons we cannot fully explain, this felt like a story about Saito himself.
