Masami Teraoka’s art confronts the world’s horrors with beauty and satire. The film explores how his paintings operate as visual protests against some of the most urgent and often suppressed issues of our time: religious abuse, environmental collapse, censorship, cultural imperialism, gender inequality, and the erosion of civil rights. As authoritarian ideologies reassert themselves globally, Masami’s work feels less like commentary on the past and more like prophecy.

Now, late in life, Masami’s gaze has shifted to his children, Adam and Eve, and the artistic marks they may one day leave on the world.

Masami trailer 1

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Directors’ Notes

We are longtime admirers of Masami Teraoka’s work. His fearless, layered storytelling through art speaks directly to our own creative values and growing anxieties about the world we’re living in. As artists ourselves, we recognize the cost of creative dissent—how institutions, market forces, and political tides can elevate or erase a voice. David understands firsthand how academia and money can shape an artist’s survival. Barbarella watched in disbelief as women’s rights regressed in real time—most starkly with the overturning of Roe v. Wade during this film’s early production.

Like Masami, we’re now asking questions we never had to ask before: Could the work we make become dangerous? Could we be punished for what we say?

This story is personal because Masami’s battles mirror our own. His paintings do more than reflect the times—they challenge power, preserve memory, and model the kind of courage that feels increasingly urgent.  We approach this story not as observers, but as artists standing on the same fault lines, facing similar risks. Our aim is not just to honor Masami’s legacy, but to make a film that confronts this moment with the same clarity and conviction he brings to every canvas.