Gregory Hatanaka is an American independent filmmaker and film distributor based in Los Angeles, California.

Hatanaka is the founder of film distribution and production company Cinema Epoch and Cineridge Entertainment.

Hatanaka has explained the origins of his interest in Asian cult cinema: "I grew up going to the drive-ins, watching Sonny Chiba movies-- I've always had a passion for that.

[3] The films premiered on October 30, 1998 and then played for a week at the Monica 4-Plex theater in Los Angeles.

[citation needed] Hatanaka has distributed the works of filmmakers and directors including Satyajit Ray, Claude Chabrol, André Téchiné, and Leni Riefenstahl,[citation needed] as well as films with such award-winning actors as Catherine Deneuve, Ewan McGregor, Billy Bob Thornton, Vince Vaughn, Colin Firth, Bridget Fonda, Isabelle Adjani, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Isabelle Huppert, and Gérard Depardieu.